Chad Allen, shown in his playing days at Three Rivers Community College.

By BRAD HURT ~ DAR Sports Writer

The 2007-08 basketball season brought more than one change for Chad Allen.

Besides leaving Puxico for Dexter, Allen switched from coaching boys to coaching girls.

Chad Allen led the Dexter girls basketball team to a district championship this past winter. [Click to enlarge]

As it turned out, the transition couldn't have gone much more smoothly.

"I didn't know what it would be like, but I grew to love it," Allen said.

The Lady Bearcats piled up win after win this season, compiling a final record of 22-5 that included winning a second straight Lady Royals Classic title as well as the MSHSAA Class 4 District 1 title. The district title was the second in the program's history -- the other coming in 2004-05 -- while the win total ranked second all-time among Lady Bearcat teams.

Along the way, they held a state ranking and defeated fellow ranked teams Naylor, Greenville and Portageville. They finished tied for the SEMO Conference title and won at Notre Dame for the first time in program's history. Allen said he owed a lot of his success in his first year with the Lady Bearcats to his predecessor.

"I thought (former coach) Gavin Miller did an excellent job getting the program to a good spot," Allen said. "It was actually a smooth transition because we have similar coaching styles."

Another factor in the Lady Bearcats' success, Allen said, was the players themselves.

"I had great girls to work with," Allen said. "I had both great defensive players and scorers."

Katelyn Heil led the Lady Bearcats in scoring at 19 points per game, while Ashlee Taylor (16 ppg) and Jill Temples (10 ppg) also averaged double figures.

Allen's success was nothing new as he had guided Puxico to a 24-5 record and a district title in his final season, the Indians' first district title since 1989.

Allen said the main difference between coaching boys and coaching girls is the speed of the game. He recalled his first practice at Dexter this past season. Puzzled by what he thought was a sluggish practice, Allen consulted his assistant, who told him the girls were going as fast as they could.

Another difference, he said, has nothing to do with fundamentals or anything that can be taught on the court. "Girls listen better," he said. "They want to try hard." Allen played for Three Rivers from 1993-95 before finishing his college career at the University of Memphis and playing professionally in Austria during the 1997-98 season.

He averaged 10 points per game in his freshman season with the Raiders, who finished second in the nation that season.

"No one expected us to be very good, but we were 9-4 before Christmas," he said.

Although the team was successful, Allen struggled at times as a freshman and even thought about quitting the team.

"Coach (Gene) Bess pushed us so hard, but I'm glad I stuck it out because it made me a better player," he said.

Allen went on to average 15 points per game as a sophomore at TRCC before averaging 10 and 12, respectively, in his two seasons on the NCAA Division I level.

Allen has an immense amount of respect for Bess, who he said is the person who has had the greatest influence on him and is the mind behind most of his coaching practices.

"(Coach Bess) is the greatest mentor of all the coaches I've had," he said. "I still talk to him everyday, and we have a great relationship. Ninety-nine point nine percent of what I do comes from him."