Jarrett Allen’s Jersey Retirement Highlights the 2019 Winter Games

On Wednesday, Dec. 18, St. Stephen’s retired the Spartan jersey of Jarrett Allen '16, who currently plays in the NBA for the Brooklyn Nets. The school unveiled Allen’s #35 varsity jersey hanging from the rafters before a standing room only crowd in Clayton Gym on campus. The event honoring Allen was part of the school’s annual Alumni Winter Games celebration pitting students vs. alumni in various sporting events, including alumni soccer and basketball games, as well as a Soccer Academy alumni game.
 
Head of School Chris Gunnin welcomed attendees and recognized Allen for not only his leadership on the court but also his many community service activities. One of only 10 recipients of the NBA Cares Community Assist Award in 2019, Allen teaches students in New York City about STEM topics and helps children from the Ingersoll Community Center program learn budgeting and math skills by providing each of them with a calculator and $100 to buy food for their family’s Thanksgiving meal.
 
“No one has to look beyond you, Jarrett, to understand what St. Stephen’s means by a life well lived,” Gunnin said. “A commitment to excellence, a great and humble heart, a strong spirit of service; these are the hallmarks of St. Stephen’s Spartans and you demonstrate them daily on one of the world’s largest stages.”
 
La-Mont King, boys’ head basketball coach at St. Stephen’s, recalled Allen’s many athletic accomplishments as a Spartan, including leading the team to two consecutive Southwest Preparatory Conference championships. Allen attended St. Stephen's from August 2013 through his graduation in May 2016. He maintains close ties with his classmates and the school, particularly Coach King. Last summer Allen helped King coach young Austinites during a summer basketball camp at the school. 
 
Allen accepted the honor with the soft-spoken humility he has come to be known for, thanking his family, friends, former Spartan teammates and alumni at the event, along with the many administrators, faculty and staff working at St. Stephen’s.
 
Thanks to the following groups and individuals for planning, hosting and staging the event: Alumni Relations Office; Athletics Department; Maintenance, Facilities and Security teams; Chris Caselli and Robert Whyburn; and our Parents’ Association Booster Club, including Jenni Evans, Erin Florence Jones '86 and Adam Jones. Special thanks to Michelle Geo Olmstead for compiling this video slideshow of all the activities, as well as Jeremy Sweetlamb for capturing this video of the jersey retirement event that was shown during the television broadcast of the San Antonio Spurs vs. Brooklyn Nets game on Dec. 19.
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Address: 6500 St. Stephen's Dr., Austin, TX 78746
Phone: (512) 327-1213