Hometown sees vindication in Dontaie Allen’s breakout performance for Kentucky
Dontaie Allen’s father was not able to watch Kentucky’s game at Mississippi State. As a Culinary Specialist First Class in the U.S. Navy, Tony Thomas is on board a ship outside Norfolk, Va., awaiting deployment to the Mediterranean Sea later this month.
Thomas followed the game by reading play-by-play updates on the ESPN app on his phone.
“All I kept reading was three-point goal by Dontaie Allen,” he said Sunday. “I had to keep explaining to everybody why I was so excited.”
Keaton Belcher, who coached Allen at Pendleton County High School, joined a group watching the game at a friend’s home.
“We were celebrating like we were going to the Final Four after every three-pointer that he made,” Belcher said.
Falmouth Mayor Ron Stinson watched the game with mixed emotions. Of course, he rooted for Allen. But …
“I grew up in Indiana, an IU fan, Bobby Knight,” he said. “Went to school with Larry Bird at Indiana State. As I’ve lived in Kentucky, they ask me, who do you root for when Kentucky’s playing? I say, well, whoever is playing Kentucky. Until this year.
“So it was a little bittersweet that I was really rooting for Dontaie, but way down deep in my brain, I’m thinking, why are you rooting for Kentucky?”
From speaking with people who live in Allen’s home county, you get the idea that the mayor was not the only one watching the breakout performance with ambivalence.
David Bay, who played host to a crowd of about 50 people watching the game at his Pendleton Hills golf course, spoke about an uneasiness born of Allen hardly playing for a UK team ranked near the bottom nationally in shooting accuracy.
“I think everybody’s been a little frustrated around Pendleton County — and I believe everywhere else — that Dontaie had not gotten a shot. We were looking at the results of the team and how things were going, and we knew Dontaie could shoot. That he is a pure shooter, as they say.”
Belcher used his laptop computer to crunch the numbers first thing Sunday morning. The high school coach saw that Allen has made 52.9 percent of his three-point shots (nine of 17). The rest of the UK players had made 25.8 percent of their three-point shots (32 of 124).
“Wouldn’t you give your best three-point shooter an opportunity to start after a game like that?” Belcher said. “Let’s be honest. This team is 2-6. Their backs are kind of against the wall. They kind of have to win. If I didn’t start him, I’d definitely bring him in as the first guard off the bench.”
What now?
Assistant Coach James “Bruiser” Flint substituted for John Calipari on a teleconference Monday previewing Tuesday night’s game against Vanderbilt.
When asked if Allen’s role will be enhanced, Flint noted that Calipari makes those decisions.
“We’ll probably discuss it,” Flint said. “But we just need Dontaie being able to come in and be ready no matter what position he’s in. …
“Coach Cal had been telling Dontaie to be ready, and he was.”
Allen had played less than 20 minutes and scored seven points in UK’s previous seven games. Then at Mississippi State, he made seven of 11 three-point shots and scored 23 points.
“Yeah, man, can he shoot it,” Devin Askew said Monday when asked about Allen’s performance. “Everybody in the world right now is, like, that man can shoot the lights out of the ball.”
After the double-overtime victory at Mississippi State, Calipari spoke of shooting being contagious.
Askew agreed.
“It just gives the whole team confidence,” he said of the impact Allen’s shooting made. “You see your teammate making shots, and you get the opportunity to shoot it next, you’re, like, you’ve got nothing to lose. ‘I’m going to make this one.’”
Allen’s family was already in a celebratory mood before Kentucky played Mississippi State. Saturday was the 16th birthday of his younger sister, Saniah Thomas.
It has been well-chronicled how Allen has overcome obstacles. He tore an anterior cruciate ligament during his senior season. Belcher remembered the exact date: Dec. 22, 2018, or the day after he scored a career-high 57 points against Bryan Station.
Then while driving to Lexington for a rehabilitation session the next spring, Allen broke a collarbone when his car skidded off Russell Cave Road and hit a tree.
Allen, who scored 3,255 points in his high school career, had 25 college scholarship offers. He came close to committing to Xavier during a recruiting visit. His mother, April, called Belcher to get his feedback. The Pendleton County coach advised waiting. Perhaps Kentucky, Allen’s “dream school,” would offer a scholarship, he said.
Former UK player Darius Miller is a close family friend. “I think that kind of motivated Dontaie to want to play for Kentucky,” Belcher said.
Incidentally, former Tennessee star Chris Lofton is a cousin of Allen.
“When Cal offered him a scholarship, it took him five seconds to say yes,” Belcher said.
‘Put in the time’
Allen’s work ethic has been cited as a reason he was a stellar high school player, recovered from two major injuries and persevered while sitting out his freshman season at UK and then a negligible role this season until the game at Mississippi State.
In high school, Allen regularly arrived early to get in extra shots before classes began, Belcher said.
Belcher said he texted Allen after Kentucky’s games this season against Morehead State and Notre Dame. Both times Allen responded with texts saying he was in UK’s practice gym.
Thomas cited heredity as a factor in developing Allen’s work ethic. The player’s biological father, Dontaie Smith, mother and Thomas all played college basketball. Smith has remained involved in the player’s life. Thomas said he married April when Allen was three months old. Allen is his mother’s maiden name.
“We always taught him that the best investment is in yourself,” Thomas said. “Put in the time and be the best person you can be. And then everything else will shine through.”
Belcher cited another reason Allen puts in extra time.
“I think he’s always been motivated by a fear of failure,” the high school coach said. “Through his high school career, I don’t think he was the most talented player in Kentucky. But I think that motivated him. So he became the hardest-working player in Kentucky.”
With Kentucky shooting poorly, Allen became something of a cause célèbre. Fans liberally sprinkled their views on social media about how Allen should play more.
“We knew what he could do, if he was given a shot,” said Troy Steele, who worked on Internet broadcasts of Pendleton County games. “That’s what we wanted.”
While many Kentucky fans found it difficult to accept Allen not playing, the player’s family did not share in any frustration directed at Calipari and/or UK, Thomas said.
“No reason for that,” Allen’s father said. “You’ve got to realize Coach Cal is a genius. He gets paid big bucks to do what he does. We truly believe you have your own path.”
Meanwhile, the shooting display at Mississippi State only enhanced Allen’s celebrity status in Falmouth and Pendleton County. When asked if the town’s main street might be renamed for Allen, Stinson jokingly said, “That might be coming.”
There’s already a sign on U.S. 27 leading into Falmouth in Allen’s honor. “When you’ve got a Mr. Basketball, you definitely want to advertise it,” the mayor said.
The family felt “vindicated” by Allen’s performance at Mississippi State. Belcher suspected that Allen shared in that feeling.
“I feel he now can say he belongs,” the high school coach said. “He feels like he can play on that level, the SEC level, at the University of Kentucky.”
Tuesday
Vanderbilt at Kentucky
When: 7 p.m.
TV: SEC Network
Radio: WLAP-AM 630, WBUL-FM 98.1
Records: Kentucky 2-6 (1-0 SEC), Vanderbilt 4-3 (0-1)
Series: Kentucky leads 149-47
Last meeting: Kentucky won 78-64 on Feb. 11, 2020, in Nashville, Tenn
This story was originally published January 4, 2021 at 1:12 PM.
