BY JESSICA PARKS
A longtime Canarsie High
School basketball coach and
radio disc jockey Tommie Allen
succumbed to pre-existing
heart and kidney conditions
on Sunday. He was 57 years
old.
Disciples of the beloved basketball
guru remember him
as a mentor, who drove young
men to mastery on the hard
court and excellence in life.
“He put pressure on me to
be great every day,” said Daryl
Frazier, a former Canarsie
High School student and basketball
player. “He is one of
the reasons I graduated high
school, graduated college, and
now I am pursuing my masters.
He is the main reason
why I coach college basketball
today.”
Allen signed on at Canarsie
High School in 1989, working
in the schools basketball
program for 22 years until the
school shut its doors in 2011.
The sportsman further
involved himself youth programs
throughout the city,
including coaching basketball
at the Eagle Academy,
another public school located
in St. Albans, Queens and volunteering
COURIER L 30 IFE, FEBRUARY 14-20, 2020
for basketball programs
in Harlem, according
to his friend Anthony Herbert.
During his long tenure,
Allen worked to shape young
men both on and off the court,
forging strong, personal relationships
with his athletes,
Frazier said.
“He actually took the time
to understand the personalities
of his students, and he
helped people be better,” said
Frazier. “He was a guy that
never believed in taking shortcuts.
He always believed there
would be light at the end of the
tunnel.”
In addition to coaching, Allen
earned a reputation within
the Tristate Area as a popular
DJ, working private events
and mixing on the New York
City radio stations Hot 97 and
WBLS.
“Tommie was one of those
humble guys that was about
the music,” said Herbert. “And
you heard it in the music that
he played.”
Mourners gathered at Borough
Hall on Monday night
to commemorate Allen’s life
with a candlelight vigil hosted
by Borough President Eric
Adams, Herbert, the NY Multicultural
Restaurant, and the
Nightlife Chamber of Commerce.
“This brother just really
personifi ed that as he moved
through the business,” said
Adams. “He was not about
sitting and letting the storms
pass by he just learned to
dance in the rain.”
At the celebration, Councilman
Robert Cornegy spoke
about his time playing basketball
on the opposite team of
Allen.
“I am here as somebody
who played ball with and
against him as a young man,”
Cornegy said. “From that culture,
I am hurting because a
lot of people don’t know the
true history of New York City
basketball.”
Beloved Canarsian Tommie Allen died Sunday due to pre-existing health
conditions. Photo courtesy of Anthony Herbert
Beloved Canarsie basketball
coach, DJ passes away
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