Former Wildcat Dontaie Allen finds new basketball home at Western Kentucky
Dontaie Allen’s basketball journey will continue in the state of Kentucky.
The 2019 Mr. Basketball from Pendleton County High School who spent three seasons at the University of Kentucky before entering the NCAA transfer portal last month, announced Wednesday that he would become a Western Kentucky Hilltopper.
Allen spent a redshirt season with the Wildcats recovering from injuries suffered in high school, then played two seasons for Kentucky as a favorite of fans who never found his way to consistent playing time.
He will join Western Kentucky with three seasons of eligibility remaining.
Allen made his announcement via a video he posted on his Twitter account. The video concluded with a photo of Allen donning a Western Kentucky jersey with the same No. 11 he wore for the Wildcats.
“We’re excited to have Dontaie join our program and our family,” WKU Coach Rick Stansbury said in a news release. “He’s a young man that we’ve known for a long time, and we’re glad to have built a relationship with him. Besides being a terrific player and a former Mr. Basketball, we know he comes from a great family. He’s coming from a very good program and a lot of things he’s learned in the last few years will help him transition to Western Kentucky.”
Allen, who sat out his freshman year at Kentucky to recover from a knee injury that ended his high school career at Pendleton County, averaged 2.2 points, 1.2 rebounds and 6.4 minutes per game in 19 appearances during the 2021-22 season. The season before, Allen played in 22 games, started one and averaged 5.4 points and 1.6 rebounds in 14 minutes per game.
Six days after Kentucky lost its opening game of this year’s NCAA Tournament to Saint Peter’s, Allen announced he was entering the transfer portal. He was the first of several UK players to announce plans in the ensuing weeks.
TyTy Washington said he will enter the NBA Draft and did not leave open the possibility of returning to UK. Keion Brooks and Jacob Toppin also entered the draft but retained the option of continuing their college careers. Bryce Hopkins, like Allen, decided to enter the transfer portal but has not yet committed to a new school.
Western Kentucky could be adding a potentially prolific scorer in Allen, who totaled 3,255 points and grabbed 1,228 rebounds playing for Pendleton County High School. Those were the 11th- and 22nd-best totals for a player in Kentucky high school basketball history, and Allen missed almost his entire senior season after he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.
Western Kentucky finished 19-13 in 2021-22, a season that included a 95-60 loss at Kentucky on Dec. 22 in which Allen did not play.
Allen joins a Hilltoppers roster that has deployed numerous home-grown players in recent seasons. Dayvion McKnight, Kentucky’s 2020 Mr. Basketball at Collins, started for WKU this past season, along with 2015 Mr. Basketball Camron Justice from Knott County Central and 7-foot-5 Jamarion Sharp from Hopkinsville.
McKnight and Sharp are expected to return for the 2022-23 season but Justice has exhausted his eligibility. Two Hilltoppers — Sherman Brashear and former Madison Central standout Isaiah Cozart, entered the transfer portal after the season. Josh Anderson and Jaylen Butz have used up their eligibility.
This story was originally published April 13, 2022 at 9:27 AM.