Ex-Roosevelt High/UAPB star James “Red” Mack Allen, who died Friday at 73, was “brilliant” basketball player

LOXAHATCHEE, Florida — James “Red” Mack Allen was remembered Wednesday as a hot-shooting, yet humble, basketball superstar who pushed himself to the limit on every play.

Mr. Allen, an undersized shooting guard who starred at West Palm’s old Roosevelt High School and went on to set records at Arkansas AM&N College — now the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff — died Friday at the age of 73. He lived in Loxahatchee.

Willie Goldsmith, Mr. Allen’s childhood friend, high school teammate and college roommate, recalled a quiet young man who excelled on the basketball court.

“He was the greatest shooter who ever lived,” Goldsmith said of Mr. Allen, who at 5-feet-10 and 155 pounds was significantly smaller than most of the players who defended him. “He was a legend in high school. There’s no question. He led us to the state championship our senior year. He was our leading scorer.”

Mr. Allen’s hot hand continued in college, where he led his team and conference in scoring all four years. He averaged 28.6 points per game for the Golden Lions and finished his career with more than 2,800 points.

He was inducted into the Southwestern Athletic Conference Hall of Fame in 2006.

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Photo: James “Red” Mack Allen, in a freshman yearbook photo from Roosevelt High School, was a star basketball player at the school. He went on to lead his Arkansas AM&N College team in scoring and was invited to the 1964 U.S. Olympic trials. Mr. Allen died Friday at the age of 73. (Photo provided by Willie Goldsmith)

Funeral services for Mr. Allen will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, January 17 at Palm Beach Lakes Church of Christ, 4067 Leo Lane, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.