Sarah Allen’s great work ethic sets her in prime position to seize opportunity.

Sarah Allen was born to ball. As long as Sarah can remember, she has always been around basketball. While her father was the team physio, and later an assistant coach with the Tigers men’s team, Sarah was behind the bench in the pram with her twin brother.  Starting in u8’s, Sarah was keen to get on the court, and while she tried footy and netball, basketball stole her heart and she still loves it to this day.

Sarah attributes multiple seized opportunities has set her on her career trajectory. In 2019 dad Craig Allen assumed the head coach position of the Redbacks women’s team and with a bit of persuasion by Redbacks club members, Sarah agreed to follow. In 2020 the regular season was replaced with the West Coast Classic and resulted in the clubs leading point guard Lauren Mansfield becoming unavailable.  Sarah took the chance to fill her shoes.  

Whilst some may say that Sarah was blessed with good fortune, it is her good work ethic and mindset of continuous improvement, that set her in prime position to fully capitalize when opportunities presented. Moving to Eagles for the 2023 NBL1 West season, Sarah said “I was going to be able to get on court having a stronger role within the group and the opportunities to develop my game in general and develop my leadership skills on and off the court”.  Her 2023 season with East Perth Eagles was the best season of her career to date having some phenomenal games, including against the Redbacks  on their home court where Sarah top scored as she rained three pointers in the game. Sarah was deservedly the team’s MVP for the season.

Sarah continuously seeks out occasions to stretch herself to reach new heights. Getting involved with the Perth Lynx Sarah said “Just to see and be involved in how the next level operates has been one of the greatest opportunities I have had. And then to be elevated to a development player role and have the opportunity to play, is something I still don’t really have the words to explain how I felt about it.”. Sarah also said “being recognized for my hard work not just during Lynx training but for all the work I have put-in, in all the years prior is positive. Playing with the Lynx has given me more confidence in my abilities and even more drive to keep improving to hopefully keep pushing up to higher levels”.

When reflecting on the last season, Sarah pointed out the team suffered a lot of injuries to a lot of key players however overall the group stepped up and worked well to build a strong team culture. In fact, Sarah says that dealing with injuries is one of the biggest challenges she, and most athletes, will face at a point in their careers. “It’s not only the physical aspect of the rehab but also the mental aspect of uncertainty”. But Sarah says that her time with the Perth Lynx has prepared her well for the NBL1 West 2024 season. “Having continuous training load with on court sessions and gym sessions, with and against highly talented players, has really helped me continue to build my fitness to hit the court running this season”.

Some may feel that Sarah’s success stems from the good fortune of her birth right, but progress doesn’t happen without commitment and the thousands of hours she puts into her development of her own time. When asked, Sarah said she attributes her success to her hard work and willingness to seek out avenues to improve her game in any way she can.  She is ardent about playing basketball saying “I am passionate because I love the game. And I love the people I get to meet and cherish the long-lasting relationships I get to build through playing basketball”. 

We're looking to seeing a passionate Sarah Allen return to the NBL1 West season in 2024 as the Eagles suit up against the Senators on the 28th of March in round 1. The first home game on the new home courts, will take place on the 6th of Apil 2024.