Look out Mississippi State: Dontaie Allen coming off another hot-shooting display
For those looking for a good omen going into the Southeastern Conference Tournament, Kentucky Coach John Calipari provided one during his weekly radio show Monday night.
He said Dontaie Allen made “four or five or six” consecutive three-point shots in practice earlier that day.
UK fans may recall the Wildcats played a scrimmage against Transylvania on Dec. 29. Allen made multiple three-point shots. “He was on fire,” Transy Coach Brian Lane said.
Four days later, the fire spread to Starkville, Miss., as Allen made seven of 11 three-point shots in Kentucky’s double-overtime victory at Mississippi State.
Who does Kentucky play in its opening SEC Tournament game? None other than Mississippi State.
“He was bang, bang, bang, bang,” Calipari said of Allen’s shooting in Monday’s practice. “I haven’t seen that in a while.”
During a teleconference Tuesday, Keion Brooks said of Monday’s practice, “Dontaie shot the lights out.”
More than once, Calipari has said that Allen can be reluctant to shoot. Coaches and teammates encourage him to shoot.
Said Brooks: “All I can say is anytime he has an inch of daylight to get it off, we want him to put it up.”
Calipari has made reference repeatedly to the pressure to perform that Allen must feel as a native Kentuckian (Falmouth), a fan favorite and having been a high school player of jaw-dropping accomplishment: 3,255 points and 1,228 rebounds.
“A lot on his shoulders,” Calpari said. “Listening to the clutter. Trying to live up to this, that and the other.”
When asked Tuesday about a pressure to perform Allen might feel, Olivier Sarr said, “I think he’s got some pressure like we all do. I can only imagine being from Kentucky and having all these expectations.”
Keaton Belcher, who coached Allen at Pendleton County High School, noted that pressure is nothing new.
“Since he entered high school at Pendleton County, I feel he’s always had more pressure on him,” Belcher said. “So, I think he’s used to it. Maybe not on the same wavelength as the University of Kentucky. . . . I feel like for his situation, he’s done a pretty good job this season.”
Belcher suggested that there was nothing unusual about the ups and downs of Allen’s season.
“Dontaie’s had a typical freshman season,” Belcher said. “The highs and lows, it’s been like a roller coaster.”
Allen played in four of UK’s seven games prior to Mississippi State. In those games, he played a total of 20 minutes, made two of six three-point shots and scored seven points.
Then came the starburst in Starkville in which Allen made seven three-point shots (one shy of a program record) and scored 23 points.
“That Mississippi State game gave him a lot of confidence,” Belcher said, “and he played well for three weeks or so.”
In the next seven games after Kentucky won at Mississippi State in double overtime, Allen averaged 8.1 points and 23.3 minutes. He made 14 of 33 (42.2 percent) three-point shots.
His roller coaster has dipped in the final weeks of the regular season. In the last nine games, Allen made two of 18 shots (two of 15 from three-point range) and scored a total of eight points.
Why the dip? Belcher noted that upcoming opponents also noticed Allen’s performance at Mississippi State.
“I definitely think with Dontaie, there was more written about him on the scouting report, for sure,” Belcher said.
Calipari put the increased defensive attention on Allen as a potential plus in creating more space for teammates to operate.
On Feb. 26, Allen tweeted, “I don’t know what my future holds, but I know who holds my future.” The tweet was punctuated by a praying hands emoji.
Belcher cautioned against interpreting the reference to an uncertain future as Allen considering a transfer.
“I don’t think he’s going anywhere,” Belcher said. “Just for the simple fact that if you work your entire life to earn a scholarship at the University of Kentucky, why would you ever leave? That was his dream school from Day One.
“It’s been a difficult year at times with inconsistent minutes and a team not having a winning record. Yes. But I think he’s smart enough to understand that if he sticks it out at Kentucky, he can have a very successful career.”
Next game
No. 8 seed Kentucky vs. No. 9 seed Mississippi State
What: SEC Tournament second-round game
When: Noon EST Thursday
Where: Bridgestone Arena in Nashville
TV: SEC Network
Radio: WLAP-AM 630, WBUL-FM 98.1
Records: UK 9-15 (8-9 SEC); MSU 14-13 (8-10 SEC)
Series: UK leads 99-20
Last meeting: UK won 78-73 on Jan. 2 at Starkville, Miss.
This story was originally published March 9, 2021 at 12:33 PM.
