Basketball: Becca heads to States with high hoops

PORTOBELLO High School sixth year pupil Becca Allison is the latest capital basketball starlet to head west in search of fame and a possible place in the London 2012 Olympics, writes SANDY SUTHERLAND.

Come August, the 18-year-old Scotland junior and Edinburgh Kool Kats point guard will be joining up with her former national team-mate Mairi Buchan at Old Dominion University, Virginia, where Buchan was named "Rookie of the Year" after a highly-successful first season.

Allison, who is renowned for her speed, has been awarded a four-year scholarship to the prestigious US college, whose coach Wendy Larry was particularly impressed with Allison's performances for Scotland in last year's Euro B tournament in Skopje.

Allison averaged two steals, three rebounds and 10.9 points a game, including a tournament high of 26 against Switzerland with eight from ten free throws.

In the 2008-2009 Scottish League season, she averaged 12 points a game for the Edinburgh seniors and 24 points a game for the juniors.

Currently nursing an ankle injury, Allison hopes to be fit to play for the Scotland Juniors against the Dutch at Edinburgh University's Pleasance Games Hall on June 6 and 7. "We're delighted for Becca that she's been given this opportunity to play for the Lady Monarchs, who have one of the best women's programmes in the USA," said Scotland junior women's coach Donna Finnie.

"Becca's one of the best athletes we have and I'm confident that, if she continues working hard, she'll go on to join Mairi Buchan and Rose Anderson in a GB uniform very soon."