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UK and Louisville Now Showing Interest in Pendleton County’s Dontaie Allen
Things are beginning to pick up for Pendleton County star Dontaie Allen after a solid weekend at the Terrific 24 event in Indianapolis.
Brian Snow of 247Sports caught up with him in Indianapolis, where Allen said, “I think I have been playing well. I am just trying to prove myself to everybody watching, and all of the coaches.”
Allen, a 6-foot-7 wing for the 2019 class, had plenty of spectators over the weekend. Purdue, Providence, and Xavier were all in to watch him play on Saturday. On Sunday, new Louisville head coach Chris Mack moved over from the Nike circuit to watch Allen play, along with Xavier head coach, Travis Steele, who watched twice over the weekend.
Kentucky has also expressed interest in Allen. Assistant coach Joel Justus recently made the trip to Falmouth to visit with Allen, where he extended an invite for him to come play pickup ball at the Joe Craft Center in June. His high school coach, Keaton Belcher, told Go Big Blue Country the following earlier this month.
“Coach Justus really likes his size and skill set. He loved his shooting form and his soft release. UK is looking for somebody to make perimeter shots and Dontaie is a guy that can make shots.”
Speaking of making shots, Allen has done just that through his high school career. He led the state of Kentucky in points scored as a junior, averaging 31.8 points per game and now owns a total of 2,697 career points, including two 50-point games. As a junior, he shot 59.1 percent from the field and 39.6 percent from three-point range. Additionally, he has grabbed 1,044 career rebounds to help record 56 career double-doubles through 105 games.
The Wildcats haven’t signed an in-state player since Dominique Hawkins and Derek Willis signed with the 2013 class. Belcher also told Go Big Blue Country that Kentucky is Allen’s dream school, but will it be enough to draw an offer?
If Allen continues to play well, expect Kentucky to at least watch him at some point throughout the summer.
