Former local women’s basketball standouts Sam Allen (Bridgton, Maine) and Rachele Burns (Gorham, Maine) will be on the University of Southern Maine Huskies’ women’s basketball sidelines for the 2014-2015 season. The Huskies’ open their season on Saturday, November 15 hosting the 2014 USM Tip Off Classic.
"It is a tremendous asset to have the caliber of assistant coaches on our sidelines this season that Sam and Rachele represent," noted veteran head coach Gary Fifield. "I am excited to have two very successful local athletes join our coaching staff and to begin working towards our goals this season. Samantha’s two years at Smith as a graduate assistant coach and two years at the University of Vermont has certainly prepared her to jump right in and make immediate contributions and be an outstanding recruiter for us. Rachele is a hometown hero in Gorham and her playing career as a member of a Division I basketball program and her experience on the sidelines of a Division I team gives her a terrific mentality that I am sure will translate into a successful coaching experience with our student-athletes."
Burns, a former Gorham High School three-sport standout earning All-State honors in soccer, basketball and softball, went on to compete for the Division I University of Maine Black Bears women’s basketball team. A five-year member of the Black Bears program under head coach Richard Barron, Burns had the opportunity to serve as a student-assistant coach during the 2012-2013 season while recovering from a season-ending injury. During her time as a student-assistant coach, Burns was involved with recruiting, travel arrangements, scouting report preparation, planning practice and fundraising activities.
In Burns’ final season with the Black Bears (2013-2014), she appeared in 11 games and her team had a 17-15 record, falling in the quarterfinals of the America East tournament. UMaine earned a spot in the postseason winning a bid to the Women’s Basketball National Invitational Tournament (WNIT), beating Bucknell in the first round before falling to Fairfield.
In 2014 Burns was selected by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) as on of 50 participants for its "So You Want to Be a Coach" program – a three-day workshop geared towards professional development and networking – held concurrently with the Final Four in Nashville, Tennessee.
Burns graduated from the University of Maine with honors earning a bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology and Physical Education. In addition to her coaching duties at USM, Burns is a physical education teacher at Gray-New Gloucester High School.
Previously the Director of Basketball Operations at Division I University of Vermont, Allen was a member of the Catamounts coaching staff for two seasons. A 2014 inductee into the Lake Regional High School Hall of Fame, Allen played her collegiate basketball at Division II Southern New Hampshire University before concluding her playing career at Colby College in Waterville, Maine, serving as team captain of the Mules as a senior. During Allen’s senior season with the Mules, she helped Colby earn its first-ever national ranking and NCAA tournament bid in 2009-10 While at Lake Region High School, Allen was a finalist for Miss Maine Basketball honor.
In her role as Director of Basketball Operations, Allen coordinated all aspects of team travel, managed the recruiting database and supervised all team managers and work-study students. Prior to her stint with UVM, Allen served as an assistant coach for the Smith College Pioneers for two seasons. Allen was actively involved in leading Smith to a record-breaking season 2011-2012 season as the Pioneers captured the 2012 ECAC New England Championship for the first time in program history. Additionally, Allen helped lead the Pioneers recruiting efforts and implemented player development through individual workouts, goal-setting programs and shot journals.
Allen earned her bachelor’s degree in Administrative Science from Colby in 2010. Allen went on to receive her Master’s degree in Exercise and Sports Studies at Smith in 2012. In 2010, Allen was selected to attend the WBCA’s "So You Want to Be a Coach" program and in 2011 she was selected to participate in the NCAA Women’s Leadership Symposium.
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