Frank Allocco, one of the nation’s most successful high school basketball coaches who won 17 league championships and two Division I state championships during an 18-year stay at De La Salle High School in Concord, Calif., has been named USF’s associate head coach.
Allocco joins the USF coaching staff after spending the last 24 years in the high school ranks, where he amassed a record of 654-99 as head coach at Northgate (167-28) and De La Salle (487-71). He guided three teams to state championships and reached the 600-win plateau faster than any coach in state history. His career winning percentage of .868 ranks second all-time in the state and he is the only prep coach in California history to win a state title at two different schools.
In 2014, Allocco was the head coach of the West team in the prestigious McDonald’s All-American High School Game held at the United Center in Chicago, Ill.
“For the past seven years I’ve watched Frank coach his De La Salle teams and have always been impressed with the way he led, coached, guided and mentored his players and teams,” said USF head coach Rex Walters. “I wanted to bring that type of influence, knowledge, work ethic and attention to detail to our program here at USF.
“There are too many things to list that I know Frank will bring to our program. We are excited to work with him and continue to build on what has been a very competitive program for the last seven seasons.”
In his 18 seasons at De La Salle, Allocco guided the Spartans to 17 East Bay Athletic League championships, three Northern California titles and state championships in 2000 and ’06. Over 60 players under his tutelage went on to play college basketball.
Among his many coaching accolades, Allocco was named Cal-Hi Sports State Coach of the Year in 2000, California Coaches’ Association State Coach of the Year in 2010 and MaxPreps.com State Coach of the Year in 2011.
Prior to his appointment at De La Salle, Allocco served as head coach at Northgate High School in Walnut Creek for six seasons (1991-97), where he compiled a 167-28 record and guided the Broncos to a Division III state championship in 1995.
A nationally and internationally renowned coach with experience throughout the world, Allocco is a highly-sought after clinician for youths, coaches and players. He has coached at the highly-regarded Five Star Basketball Camps and was a lead clinician at the All-Asia Basketball Camp in Beijing, China. He has also been a featured speaker at the Belgium Basketball Federation Clinic and the Nike Clinic in Toronto. He was a popular clinician on the Nike Basketball Clinic circuit throughout the nation.
In addition to guiding the West team in the 2014 McDonald’s High School All-American Game, Allocco was the head coach in the Michael Jordan All-American Game which was played at Madison Square Garden; the head coach of the Academic All-American Game in Los Angeles; and head coach of the Nike Hoop Jamboree in St. Louis.
“Great athletic traditions are something that has always resonated with me,” said Allocco. “It’s what drew me to Notre Dame and inspired me to build winning programs at Northgate and De La Salle. The incredible tradition that echoes through the rafters and permeates throughout the USF basketball program has drawn me to the Hilltop. I’m excited for the opportunity to work with Coach Walters in creating a culture of excellence that will carry that tradition to new heights and bring honor to the University and Bay Area.”
A native of New Providence, N.J., Allocco, 62, graduated with a degree in sociology in 1976 from Notre Dame, where he played football and basketball. He was a three-year football letterwinner and played on the Irish’s 1973 National Championship team under legendary head coach Ara Parseghian. He also played two seasons of basketball under Digger Phelps.
