UK Signee Dontaie Allen Named Mr. Kentucky Basketball
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Kentucky men’s basketball signee Dontaie Allen was tabbed the 2019 Kentucky Mr. Basketball winner on Tuesday evening during a ceremony in Lexington. Allen is now the 18th Wildcat to take home the state’s top high school honor.
Allen signed with the Wildcats in November, becoming the first in-state player to ink a national letter of intent since 2013.
The Falmouth, Kentucky, native averaged a staggering 42.9 points and 14.2 rebounds per game for Pendleton County. He was limited to just 13 games during his senior season after suffering a torn ACL in his left knee on Dec. 22.
He capped his high school career with 3,255 career points, which ranks 11th all-time in state history. His 1,228 career rebounds is the 22nd best in state allure.
“I wasn’t really expecting to (win),” Allen said at the ceremony. “I was just living in the moment, honestly. I think people appreciated the way I played.”
A talented, high-scoring wing he dropped 50 or more points in six of his first 12 games during his senior campaign. As a junior, Allen averaged 31.8 points and 11.4 rebounds per game. He shot 59.1 percent from the floor and 39.6 percent from 3-point range.
Allen is the 18th Wildcat or signee to earn Mr. Kentucky Basketball honors. He joins Bill Lickert (1957), Pat Doyle (1959), Randy Embry (1961), Mike Casey (1966), Jimmy Dan Connor (1971), Jack Givens (1974), Dirk Minniefield (1979), Todd May (1982), Winston Bennett (1983), Rex Chapman (1986), John Pelphrey (1987), Richie Farmer (1988), Josh Carrier (2001), Brandon Stockton (2002), Darius Miller (2008), Jon Hood (2009) and Dominique Hawkins (2013) on the list.
He really turned heads during the last summer circuit and is a consensus four-star prospect who will be eligible to play in the 2019-20 season. There is no timetable for his return to the court following the injury.
He is the first player from the state of Kentucky to sign a national letter of intent with UK since Hawkins and Derek Willis, who were both part of the class of 2013 (current freshman Zan Payne joined the team as a walk-on in the spring and did not sign an NLI).
“Dontaie is one of Kentucky’s finest,” UK head coach John Calipari said when Allen signed with the Wildcats. “I love Dontaie’s ability to score the ball in different ways. He’s got a lot of skills with the ball in his hands and athleticism to play above the rim. I’m always excited anytime there’s a player from our state who can come in and help this program and have an impact. Dontaie does all that for us.”
He jumped up recruiting charts after a sensational summer. He’s ranked as high as the No. 55 overall player by Rivals.
Allen is a wing player by definition because of his ability to play both the guard and forward positions. His ability to shoot and handle the ball bodes well for where the game is trending towards, but he’ll also pose matchup problems for smaller defenders because of his athleticism and size. He stands at 6-foot-6, 200 pounds.
For the latest on the Kentucky men’s basketball team, follow @KentuckyMBB on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, and on the web at UKathletics.com.
