Allison Bustamante, a former Notre Dame recruit and one of the greatest women’s basketball players ever to come out of Miami, is the new coach at Barry University.
Bustamante, in a phone interview with the Miami Herald on Wednesday night, let it be known that she’s “ready” for this opportunity.
“I’m ready to compete,” said Bustamante, 42. “I’m ready to recruit, and I’m ready to grow something special at Barry.”
Bustamante, a 6-foot guard, was a four-time, first-team All-Dade player at Lourdes Academy, where she was coached by her stepfather, Chris McKeon.
In addition, Bustamante was twice named first-team All-State, and she was twice named The Herald’s girls’ basketball Player of the Year.
She split her college career between Notre Dame – where she was part of the Fighting Irish’s 2001 national championship team – and FIU.
After college, Bustamante sold medical equipment for nearly two years.
But one day, McKeon came home and found Bustamante watching his old Hubie Brown “coaching tips” VHS tapes.
“She was working in sales, but I knew her passion for basketball was still there,” McKeon said. “I just had to give her a nudge toward coaching, but she was a natural.”
After that “nudge,” Bustamante started showing up at Lourdes practices, giving the girls her own tips. From there, she took a seat on the bench as a Lourdes assistant coach.
By then, Bustamante had found a new passion, going back to school to become a physician’s assistant.
Ultimately, though, she had to choose her path, and basketball won her heart … just like always.
From there, she became a high school head coach, leading Carrollton to the first district title in program history.
Doral Academy girls’ basketball coach Allison Bustamante, who led the Firebirds to the state final four each of the past two seasons, has been hired as the new coach at Barry University. Courtesy of Barry University
For the past couple of years, Bustamante coached at Doral Academy, leading the Firebirds to the state semifinals in 2023 and 2024. Prior to her arrival, Doral had never reached that far in girls’ hoops.
Since 2017, Bustamante has also had her own skills-development business, “AB Basketball”, where she trains players of all ages. And, she started a girls’ basketball travel team named Miami Impact.
“I wanted to make an impact, hence the name,” Bustamante said.
Bustamante has indeed made an impact, and she wants to continue that at Barry, where there are currently just three players on the roster and no assistant coaches.
“We have a lot of work to do,” Bustamante said.
Still, this feels right for a woman who grew up with basketball in her life on the daily.
“After I graduated college, I thought I was done with basketball,” she said. “My body had been put through the ringer because I played such a reckless style, and I wasn’t the most patient person when it came to rehab.”
But then the opportunity to coach came her way, and she’s not looking back.
“I’m a Miami kid born and raised,” she said. “I’d love to stay at Barry for a long time.
“It may sound crazy, but I’m going to try to build it in a year. If not, I think in two years we’re going to have a program that everyone in the community will be proud of.
“I want to compete nationally.”
Hubie Brown would expect nothing less.
THIS AND THAT
▪ Barry’s men’s tennis team (21-4) lost 4-3 to ninth-ranked Washburn in the second round of the recent NCAA Division II national tournament at Altamonte Springs. Barry had been ranked third in the nation.
▪ Nova Southeastern University’s women’s golf team finished 10th in the national NCAA Division II tournament at Boulder City, Nevada.
▪ St. Thomas University’s softball team finished its impressive season with a 49-8 record, losing twice to Georgia Gwinnett in an NAIA regional.
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