In The Nest: Allison Day is Flourishing as a Falcon
Medical Mutual
1/23/2023
After a stellar four-year career at Loyola University Chicago, Ohio native Allison Day joined the BGSU women’s basketball program for the 2022-23 academic year. Day has been a tremendous addition to the team, both on and off the court. Several days after scoring a career-high 31 points in her first-ever “Battle of I-75,” Day sat down to answer a few questions.
Q: You are from Russellville, Ohio. What is one thing people should know about your hometown?
Day: Basketball is a big part of it. When I was in high school, girls’ basketball was big. We went to the final four for the first time in 10-plus years. I think there’s a lot of community support around girls’ basketball.
Q: How did you first start playing basketball, and when did you realize it was the sport you wanted to play in college?
Day: I just grew up playing basketball; I don’t know exactly when I started. My brother played basketball in college, my dad played basketball in college, his dad and his grandmother both played, and my mom and grandfather on her side of the family also played. So, it’s just been in the family. I played a lot of sports through middle school and the beginning of high school. I realized around my sophomore year, when I started playing AAU basketball and getting recruited, that I probably should start focusing on basketball.
Q: You attended Loyola for four years, where your head coach was BGSU Hall-of-Famer Kate Achter. What was it like playing for Coach Achter?
Day: Everybody says she was an intense player, and I think she was a pretty intense coach as well. We grew a very good relationship off the court, and I think that helped both of us when we were in games as well as practice. It definitely helped me mature as a player as a person.
Q: You had a very successful four-year career at Loyola, with over 1,100 points and 600 rebounds, as well as earning a degree in business management with a minor in sport management. What made you decide to come to BGSU for your final year of college basketball?
Day: I graduated early and was able to get my MBA at Loyola as well, so the school aspect was kind of an extra piece. I knew I wanted to go somewhere and make an impact, basketball-wise. I also felt a lot of support from the coaches here. I had played here (in a game at the Stroh Center) in my freshman year, and BGSU played at Loyola the next year, so we kind of knew each other, and when I came here on a visit, it felt like I could make this a home. I visited soon after the season ended, probably in the first week of April, and committed the next week.
Q: Before you ever played a game at BGSU, the team went on a foreign tour, heading to Costa Rica for a week in early August. How do you feel that trip affected the team, both on and off the court?
Day: I think the summer is a great time to spend with your teammates and get to know them. We had a lot of team bonding, and that was very helpful for me, because I was new. I’m only going to be here for a year, but I still want to make an impact with team relationships. We still talk a lot about the Costa Rica trip. We had a ton of great experiences and great shared memories.
Q: You are working toward a graduate certificate in strategic communication at BGSU. What would you like to do upon graduation?
Day: Eventually, I think I’d like to coach. I felt that strategic communication would be beneficial to me in the future, because I think all of those things – communication, strategy, figuring out how to recruit players, how to communicate with players, how to brand your program – are very important. After this season, I’d like to play overseas if I can. I don’t know how long my playing career might last, but I definitely want to stay in sports for as long as I can.
Q: Who inspired or encouraged you the most athletically growing up?
Day: My mom and my dad. They both coached me growing up, from pee-wee all the way up until high school, and my mom still sat on the bench in high school. My dad did a lot of sports performance training, starting really young. My mom was the nice coach and he was the more demanding coach (laughing). But I think it all played out pretty well.
Q: Do you have any pre-game superstitions or routines?
Day: I don’t really have any superstitions. I always get here early to shoot, and before everyone else gets out to the court, I shoot at the opposite end of the court, and it’s always the same routine. But, I try not to be too specific, so that if something goes wrong, it’s still okay. The game will go on.
Q: What is your go-to restaurant and/or meal?
Day: My go-to meal is probably steak. I grew up on an Angus beef farm, so I’ve always got that in the freezer and it’s one of my go-to meals.
Q: Where is your favorite spot on campus?
Day: Probably the Stroh Center. I’ve actually only had one in-person class, so the Stroh Center is the place I visit the most.
Q: Who is the funniest player on the team?
Day: I would say Jocelyn (Tate) and Mo (Sharps).
Q: Describe Coach Fralick in one word.
Day: Caring.
Q: What is your favorite thing about being a part of the BGSU women’s basketball program?
Day: Just the culture around the program. The community support, the success of years past, the type of teammates I have, even former players who might not know me, but have still come up and talked to me. The culture that has been built here is really cool.
Q: What is it like playing in the Stroh Center?
Day: It’s great having such great crowds at our games. As I said, our team is high school had a lot of fans, and it’s the same way here. Its very nice having a lot of fans watching you play and yelling your name.
Q: We are approximately one-third of the way through the MAC schedule. What are your goals, both personally and for the team, for the remainder of this season?
Day: I would just like to do whatever it takes for to win. I think our team knows that we’re capable of winning a lot of games, but we just need to have the right mindset throughout the entire season. We’ve won some big games already, but it is still early. We just need to avoid getting lackadaisical about anything, and we need to keep working hard and keep the right mindset.
