Notre Dame high school girls basketball team defeated Newington 60-45 to win the Class L Connecticut State Championship on Saturday. Rowan Houston, daughter of former New York Knicks sharpshooter Allan Houston, is a member of the Notre Dame team. She had a block and a three-pointer in transition (her only basket of the game), in the win. Rowan is a junior and will be back to help the team defend its title next season. Does she have game like her father?
Allan Houston was a high school All-American and Kentucky’s Mr. Basketball in 1989. He went on to star at the University of Tennessee and earned All-SEC honors three times and graduated as the school’s leading scorer. He was the 11th pick in the 1993 NBA draft by the Detroit Pistons.
He played three seasons in Detroit and earned an All-Star appearance. Houston was a sweet-shooting two guard hitting eFG% of 55 and a TS% of 59 in his second season.
After his rookie contract expired he signed a free agent deal with the Knicks. He helped lead the team to the 1999 NBA Finals. During a contentious playoff series with their rivals the Miami Heat and former Knicks head coach Pat Riley, Houston had a signature moment.
In the fourth quarter of Game 5, with the Knicks inbounding the ball trailing by one, Houston caught the inbounds pass, and made a running jumper in the lane with 0.8 seconds left on the clock to win the game and the series for the Knicks, 78-77. Only the second time in NBA playoffs history where an eight seed defeated a one seed.
The Knicks defeated the Atlanta Hawks and Indiana Pacers to advance to the NBA Finals. Houston averaged 21.6 points per game in the only Finals appearance of his career, including a 34 point performance in a Game 3 victory over the San Antonio Spurs.
His prep career alone is a lot for daughter Rowan to aspire to. This past season was her first on Notre Dame, and as a junior, playing limited minutes, it’s unlikely she wins Connecticut Miss Basketball.
But having a dad that was a 12-year NBA veteran and two-time All-Star will help in Rowan developing into the level of player she has the talent and commitment to become.
In 2001, Houston signed a six-year, $100.4 million contract extension with the Knicks. One of the biggest in the league at the time. An annual salary of over $20 million and injury problems that ultimately cut his career short, severely hampered the Knicks in the early to mid 2000s.
He announced his retirement on October 17, 2005. But two years later he tried to make a comeback that was unsuccessful.
In 2008, Houston was hired by the Knicks as assistant to the president for basketball operations. In December 2010, he was promoted to the position of assistant general manager. In July 2019, Houston was named special assistant to the general manager of the Knicks; and served as general manager of the Westchester Knicks, the team’s G League affiliate.
Houston now serves as vice president for player leadership and development within the organization. A Knicks lifer.
Look who is in the house! Former @nyknicks star Allan Houston is here to watch his daughter Rowan Houston and her team compete for a Class L title @jeffjacobs123 sits down with Houston at the half #ctgb pic.twitter.com/9ZiIBHDQn5
— GameTimeCT (@GameTimeCT) March 19, 2022
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