Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM JUNE/JULY 2024 39 MEN'S BASKETBALL BY JACK SOBLE C o m i n g o f f h i s b e s t season at Princeton, graduate transfer guard Matt Allocco (pronounced uh-LOCK-oh) commit- ted to Notre Dame April 17. The Hilliard, Ohio, na- tive averaged a career-high 12.7 points per game in 2023-24, while shooting 50.8 percent from the field, 42.7 percent from beyond the arc and 90.9 percent from the free throw line. Allocco, who has one season of eligibility re- maining, fills a hole for the Irish. Entering head coach Micah Shrewsberry's sec- ond season, Notre Dame badly needed a scoring guard to complement and take pressure off rising sophomore and reigning Atlantic Coast Conference Rookie of the Year Markus Burton. That assumes Burton withdraws from the NBA Draft — he entered it on April 11 — and returns to Notre Dame, which he is widely expected to do. That deadline is May 29. WHAT ALLOCCO BRINGS TO THE TABLE The Irish acquired an excellent shooter in Allocco. The veteran guard averaged 1.27 points per possession as a spot-up shooter, which ranked in the 92nd percentile among college basket- ball players. He also put up a 64 percent effective field goal percentage (essen- tially just field goal percentage that ad- justs for threes being worth more than twos) in catch-and-shoot situations, which was in the 93rd percentile. Allocco is quick and decisive when he gets the ball off the catch, which pre- vents him from getting blocked despite not having the quickest release in the world. His mechanics are top-notch and he has a smooth shooting stroke. However, Allocco isn't just a shooter by any means. The ex-Tiger is an effective rim fin- isher, both off the dribble and off cuts. He also likes to pull up for an elbow jumper every now and then, keeping defenses on their toes. Allocco may not be a bona-fide shot creator, but he can grind out a bucket in isolation. Some- times, he'll catch defenders sleeping or sitting on his three-point shot and zoom to the rim for two. He knows how to shoot off the dribble, too (54 percent EFG, 73rd percentile). Allocco also averaged 3.3 assists per game for Princeton this past season, which is more than one would expect for a shooting guard. He sees the court well and loves to find his cutting teammates for easy buckets, especially if defenses collapse on him. Taking care of the basketball was an issue for the Irish last season, and Al- locco does that well. He has never aver- aged more than 1.4 turnovers per game. Despite standing at just 6-foot-4, he helps out on the glass as well (4.8 re- bounds per game as a junior). Allocco comes to Notre Dame with significant postseason experience, having made the Sweet 16 with Princeton in 2023. He scored 15 points — includ- ing 3 made three-pointers — in the Tigers' Ivy League championship game win over Yale. He also scored 10 points and dished out 7 assists in No. 15 Princeton's round of 32 win over No. 7 Missouri, shortly after up- setting No. 2 Arizona. He should fit Irish head coach Micah Shrewsberry's culture like a hand in a glove and will bring a veteran presence to a young and talented backcourt. Allocco, rising sophomore Braeden Shrewsberry and incom- ing freshman Cole Certa project as Notre Dame's best three-point shooters, alongside lead guards like Burton and incoming fresh- man Sir Mohammed. FAMILY TIES Allocco's uncle is Frank Allocco, who played football and basketball for Notre Dame in the early- to mid-1970s. He was on the 1973 national championship team and eventually became Ara Par- seghian's backup quarterback. Frank Allocco wrote in his "Strong of Heart" profile that he was in line to start as a fifth-year senior in 1975, but he injured his shoulder in spring prac- tice and eventually lost the job. He fell behind Rick Slager and a little-known freshman named Joe Montana. It's the basketball side, though, that Frank Allocco passed down to his ex- tended family. Frank won 17 league championships and two state titles in 18 years as head coach of Concord (Calif.) De La Salle High. Matt Allocco's dad, Greg, and his two older siblings, Chris and Carly, all played at small colleges. "We're some big names historically. I kind of come from a basketball blood- line," Allocco said in December 2021. Allocco is set to take that bloodline back to Notre Dame, where he'll be a fixture on the 2024-25 Irish. ✦ Princeton Guard Matt Allocco Commits To Notre Dame Allocco — whose uncle, Frank Allocco, played football and basketball for Notre Dame in the early- to mid-1970s — averaged a career-high 12.7 points per game in 2023-24. PHOTO COURTESY PRINCETON ATHLETICS