Journey To Jadwin - Matt Allocco '24
10/28/2025
“Tough and competitive will take you a long way.”
That was the biggest lesson Matt Allocco ’24 learned from his father, Gregg, a high school coach in Ohio. Few have applied that lesson as effectively as the two-time Princeton captain.
He was an inaugural recipient of Princeton’s Chris Sailer Leadership award, a member of the 50-40-90 club, a three-time Ivy League champion and integral part of the Tigers’ historic run to the Sweet Sixteen in 2023. Allocco was a generational leader.
Allocco’s Journey to Jadwin began in the state of Ohio. He was born in Columbus then lived in Westerville and Upper Arlington before moving to Hilliard, where his family remains. Basketball was always part of Allocco’s life; he remembers attending his brother’s sixth-grade games as a second grader and getting a few minutes of playing time in blowouts wearing an oversized jersey. Allocco also remembers looking up players his father coached, including Brian Sullivan at Upper Arlington. Sullivan went on to play at Davidson and ranks second all-time in program history in made three-pointers (272) behind none other than Steph Curry.
While there were many players, including Sullivan, who Allocco looked up to throughout those early years, his older brother Chris, who went on to play at Ohio Wesleyan, was first true role model.
He was my hero and is my hero still.Matt Allocco
“Over the summers he had a notebook and would track his shots and makes,” said Allocco. “He’d shoot at parks, in the driveway and in a gym if we could get int one. I was following his lead.”
A young Matt regularly tagged along to Chris’ practices, and the competitive juices between the brothers truly got flowing as they got older. They took part in years of legendary one-on-one battles, with Chris getting the best of his younger brother for years until eventually Matt was able to get the upper hand.
Allocco’s iconic competitive streak was honed during those years.
The Allocco boys would play on a little tykes hoop for hours before their games advanced to a full-size basket. Eventually different rules were implemented to level the playing field given Chris’ four-year age advantage; one day he could only score from jump shots outside the key, another he was only allowed one dribble. Despite the rule changes, Matt was still unable to guard his older brother.
On another memorable occasion, Chris made a move that put Matt off balance. As Matt tried to recover to contest the shot, one of his teeth went straight into the top of Chris’ head. Chris wasn’t pleased, proceeding to throw the ball at his younger brother and refuse to speak to him for the rest of the day after getting stitched up.
The next day they woke up and everything was fine.
“That’s just what brothers do, it’s all part of it.”
Allocco’s uncle, Frank, who was a member of the varsity football and basketball teams at Notre Dame in the 1970’s and is currently the Executive Senior Associate Athletics Director of External Relations at the University of San Francisco, founded the Excel in Basketball Summer Camp in for kids in California and New Jersey in 1981 and was another influential figure in his development. These camps became an integral part of Matt’s development as a player and person. As a six-year-old at one of the camps in New Providence, New Jersey, Allocco was allowed to participate in the nine-year-old division. It helped sharing a last name with the camp director as technically you were only allowed to start camp at nine. He grew up watching the like of Frank Allocco Jr., who played at Saint Mary’s, along with other high-level college and pro players work those camps then play pickup afterwards. Once he was old enough, he would join in those games, which was a full circle moment.
The lessons Allocco learned from his father and uncle transcended basketball. Getting a job, making money and succeeding in life all require being competitive.
You can be really skilled, have all the talent in the world but if you’re not the best competitor in the gym you won’t stand out. That mindset has taken me a long way … I tried to build my career upon being the toughest, the most competitive and the greatest teammate I could be.Matt Allocco
Due to his chatty nature, Allocco was nicknamed “Mush Mouth” by his father after the Fat Albert character. While he acknowledges he’s a natural talker, Allocco credits being around great leaders and role models early in his life as fast-tracking his leadership ability. He copied everything from their mannerisms to their terminology.
“Maybe it came naturally because I would never stop running my mouth,” said Allocco. “But I credit the people who molded me and my role models who always emphasized things that would make me stand out.”
Throughout his high school and AAU career, Allocco played with and against many elite players. Braden Norris, who played at Loyola-Chicago, was one of them along with Chris Mayfield, who earned a scholarship to play football at Michigan State before transferring to Ohio. Elite players meant elite teams for Allocco at Hilliard Bradley, where he describes the culture as being unique for a high school program.
“Our weight room was like a war zone,” said Allocco. “When we got on the floor, if you didn’t dive on a loose ball we were questioning if you were tough and competitive enough to play here.”
The moment from his high school career that stood out the most came during his senior year. Hilliard Bradley made it to the Elite Eight and were poised to go further, but all competition was shut down due to COVID-19. They had just beaten a stacked Walnut Ridge team, that included the Mr. Basketball for the state of Ohio, by 30 points and saw it as their chance to win the state championship in the biggest division in Ohio. It Jaguars were rolling, and it took a global pandemic to stop them. The way that season ended haunts Allocco to this day.
As someone so locked in on staying in the moment, Allocco felt uncomfortable at times with the looking ahead aspect of the recruiting process. As a high school player his only focus was winning a state championship and nothing else mattered, he figured the rest would take care of itself. Allocco first heard from Princeton his sophomore year, and the interest began to grow from both sides.
Allocco committed to Princeton in June before his senior year of high school.
I felt the pull instantly when I walked on campus. The beauty of campus and town is breathtaking. Walking around places like Nassau Street and Fitzrandolph Gate gave me chills. It’s to the point where how do you not choose this place? It changed my life in the best ways.Matt Allocco
Freshman year was an unusual one for Allocco, but it came with a silver lining. Due to COVID-19, fall was completely virtual and while spring was in person, activities were extremely limited.
“It helped us,” said Allocco. “We built a connection, spent so much time together and practiced for months. It gave us a head start for the next year, we won the league and lost in the championship. The year after we made an incredible run, it all started there.”
The next time Allocco would play in an official game after his senior year was cut short was on November 12, 2022, at the Asheville Championship when the Tigers downed SEC opponent South Carolina, 66-62. Talk about being thrown into the fire.
Clutch play and delivering in big moments became a hallmark of Allocco’s time at Princeton. Who could forget his pull-up three-pointer for the win over Cornell in Jadwin on January 10, 2022? Not only did he make that iconic basket on his birthday and in his first career start, but it was also named “The Best Thing I Saw Today” by Scott Van Pelt on SportsCenter.
Or the time he beat the buzzer for the win against a loaded Furman team in Jadwin on December 2, 2023? Or his MVP honors at the 2023 Jersey Jam after the Tigers knocked off Rutgers. There was also his 23 points that came on 10-for-13 shooting in a win at Duquesne on November 15, 2023, and the night he helped Princeton move to 7-0, the program’s best start since 1997-98, and rally back from 11 down at Bucknell with six-straight made baskets in the second half. The list goes on and on.
As a senior in 2023-24, Allocco joined the 50-40-90 club. He became the eighth player in history go 50-40-90 while averaging at least 12-points-per-game and playing at least 30 minutes. Allocco was also the only player in the nation that season to go 50-40-90 while appearing in at least 25 games, averaging at least 10 points and playing at least 25 minutes.
Allocco’s play was a key part of the Tigers’ team success, and he ended his career with a Sweet Sixteen appearance, three Ivy titles and high major wins over Arizona, Missouri, Rutgers and South Carolina. He’s most proud of the team’s three championships in three seasons, and the hope the team’s legacy will be remembered in the history books at Princeton, the Ivy League and college basketball as a whole.
Everyone was dedicated to basketball and winning. Cherishing the success of others and not just themselves … everyone cheered for the success of the team and not an individual.Matt Allocco
As a junior in 2023-24, Allocco helped Princeton go a few steps further than the previous season and defeat Yale in the Ivy Tournament final to punch a ticket to the NCAA Tournament. He describes the feeling after beating the Bulldogs as “euphoria.”
After taking down Arizona and Missouri in the Rounds of 64 and 32, the Tigers’ magic March came to an end against Creighton in the Sweet 16. The KFC Yum! Center was a sea of orange, and the support from Princeton fans meant everything to Allocco. When the team went back to the hotel after the game they returned to a packed lobby with fans forming a tunnel and greeting them on the way in. Allocco initially asked why they were doing it.
“They were like no,” said Allocco. “Thank you for bringing us on this journey.”
While the numbers and accolades are impressive, Allocco’s greatest impact didn’t show up in the box score. His leadership and ability to get the best out of others was unmatched, and it culminated in him being an inaugural recipient of the Chris Sailer Leadership Award in 2024, which is awarded to student-athletes who demonstrate exceptional leadership and commitment to serving others.
Allocco’s advice to incoming freshmen and the Princeton basketball players of the future is well worth listening to.
“Enjoy all of it, not just basketball but also school,” said Allocco. “Experience everything and don’t leave with any regrets. At Princeton they’ve got seminars, speakers and music performances all the time. Coach Henderson did a great job of explaining to us that we need to experience all these things. Enjoy your time, there’s no place like it.”
Being tough and competitive has continued to take Allocco a long way. In October 2025 he signed his first professional contract with the San Diego Clippers of the NBA G League as his career at the next level is set to begin.
Matt is such a valuable part of any team. There’s no doubt that he will make a big impact, as he did here daily, in San Diego. He raises the level wherever he is - I’m looking forward to watching him.Mitch Henderson
