Senior center Max Allison has helped the Ankeny boys’ basketball team to a 6-6 record, including a 5-5 mark in the CIML Conference. He verbally committed last week to play next year for Central College.
The 7-foot-1 Allison is averaging 3.3 points and a team-high 4.9 rebounds per game. He also leads the Hawks with 28 blocks.
Allison scored a career-high 10 points in his team’s 53-38 loss at top-ranked Cedar Falls on Dec. 19.
Here is some inside info on Allison:
Congratulations on your commitment to Central. Did you look at a lot of schools, and was it a tough decision?
Thank you! I did look at a lot of different schools and took my time to make sure I made the right choice, but the coaches at Central made it an easy choice in the end.
What did you like about Central?
I really like the small-town feel that Pella and Central offer. Central is also a great school with a beautiful campus. Everyone I met there was extremely welcoming and kind.
What are you planning to study there?
Currently, I’m planning on going to Central to become a high school history teacher, majoring in secondary education with a focus on history. But I’m also keeping an open mind and exploring other career options as I go.
Central coach Conor Riordan is a former Ankeny standout who went on to star at Simpson College. Do you like the fact that he has that Ankeny connection?
Conor is a great coach, and I can’t wait to play for him at Central. It’s definitely been really nice to talk to him about the similarities and differences between when he played at Ankeny and now while I’m playing for Ankeny.
Do you know much about his playing career and the things that he accomplished?
I knew some things about him from when I first looked into his background at the start of my recruiting process, but after going back and looking again, I don’t think I understood the extent of his accomplishments as well as I do now.
Your Ankeny team has had some ups and downs this season. What has been the highlight for you?
I’ve had many moments this season that have been memorable, from my first points against Valley to taking on a bigger role as a starter this year. But I think my favorite moments so far haven’t been in games. They’ve been during practice, competing with each other, and off the court at team meals, getting to know all my teammates.
What did you think of your team’s performance in the 76-53 loss on Tuesday at fourth-ranked Waukee?
We obviously didn’t get what we wanted out of the game. Waukee is a great team with some really good players. We had a rough second quarter and couldn’t recover from it. We just need to put that game behind us, move forward, and learn from our mistakes.
You’ve already played games against the top four teams in Class 4A, who all boast some of the state’s top players. Who has been the toughest player for you to defend thus far?
Everyone I’ve defended this year has been difficult for their own reasons, but the toughest has to be Landon Davis from Waukee Northwest because he is just an all-around player who can not only play off the dribble and post you up, but can also shoot if you leave him open.
Your team will now have a nine-day layoff before hosting No. 9 Linn-Mar (Marion) in a non-conference game on Friday. Do you think the extra practice time will be beneficial for your team at this point in the season, and what do you think this team needs to work on the most?
Extra practice time is always nice and a great time to recover, which is something we need now that our Johnston game has been rescheduled for Feb. 13, giving us a long four-game week Feb. 10-16 against Waukee Northwest, Urbandale, Johnston and Dallas Center-Grimes.
After the Linn-Mar game, your team will play the next five contests away from home–three of them against ranked opponents. Do you think that stretch will help prepare your team for postseason play, even if you suffer some losses?
Every game we’ve played and will play is with the focus of preparing for the postseason. That stretch on the road will definitely help us get ready, even if we take a few losses, because it will show us what we need to improve and how we respond in tough environments like (the Casey’s Center).
What will be the keys for your team to make a deep postseason run?
One of the biggest keys for us will be for everyone to continue buying into their roles and for us as a team to play with confidence every night, no matter who we’re playing.