Jorie Allen’s dad, Jeff, played for DePaul basketball from 1981 through 1983, and her mom, Linda, grew up south of Chicago in Harvey. Allen’s dad didn’t want to pressure Allen into going to DePaul, even though he thought it was a good fit for her. On the other hand, Allen said her mom was very adamant that she should play for the Blue Demons. 

Sure enough, Allen, a 6-foot forward, is now entering her sixth and final year of college basketball, and her fifth as a Blue Demon. Though she has played in Chicago for half a decade, many things kept her from playing all five seasons. 

“I don’t count my sophomore year as a full season because I had to sit out for the first half after transferring, and then it was Covid, so it was cut short,” Allen said.

Allen grew up in Bedford, Indiana, and has played basketball almost every year of her life. She attended Indiana University for her freshman year of college, but she realized Indiana wasn’t the right fit for her, so she transferred to DePaul. 

She said she wasn’t happy in Indiana, but it wasn’t because she had a bad experience. She felt like it wasn’t the place where she should be, and she didn’t feel “good about (herself) or the game.” She then decided to pick up the phone and call Doug Bruno, the Blue Demons head coach.

Bruno originally recruited Allen out of high school, so she knew him when she entered the transfer portal. He gave her some great advice and Bruno was one of the reasons she chose DePaul. 

“He said, ‘No matter where you end up, just get back to the girl who loves to play.’”

In Allen’s junior year of college, she suffered a season-ending injury. She had two ligaments reconstructed in her left ankle, and because her ankle wasn’t functioning like usual, the cartilage in her knee got torn up.

She said she felt disconnected from her teammates. But because she wasn’t playing basketball for the first time in many years, she took some time to focus on herself.

“When you have a year where you physically aren’t involved in the game, you feel separated from a core part of yourself,” Allen said. “But it was a wonderful opportunity to explore other parts of my life.”

After that injury, Allen said she started to play some of the best basketball she’s ever played. She also felt more confident as a player.

Last year, Allen finished the season with a career best 11.1 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. She was also the first Blue Demon to make all her field goals (minimum eight attempts) on Nov. 26, 2023, since Kat Harry in 2010.

Allen says she’s always been “outspoken and loud.” Jill Pizzotti, the interim head coach for the women’s basketball team, agrees Allen is the vocal leader.

“She’s got a strong voice in the locker room and the girls really respect her. They know she knows what she’s talking about,” Pizzotti said. “We lean on Jorie a lot … to help our players understand the culture and expectations and how hard we want to work and how we want to carry ourselves off the court.”

Allen joked that she feels like the “mama” of the team, taking 11 underclassmen and two transfers under her wing this season.

“Jorie definitely teaches us hard work, if nothing else,” Sumer Lee, a sophomore guard, said. “She’s the hardest worker on the floor every practice, no matter what she demonstrates. Every drill, she runs the hardest.”

Allen also tries to be a voice of reason.

“As a leader, you’re only as good as the people who want to follow you,” Allen said. “It’s not a one way thing where I’m just out there telling people what to do, I’m getting better alongside everybody, and I’m learning as well.”

Ahead of her final season at DePaul, Allen’s team is confident in her defensive intensity and ability to help guide the team. She loves the game of basketball and has been dedicated to playing it since she was five, so she is excited to lead the team to victory.

“My dad would always say, ‘Basketball is the medium to life,’” Allen said. “I love the game because it came naturally to me. I was in the right place at the right time.”

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