WKU’s Dontaie Allen sidelined by ‘eligibility matter related to his previous school’

Dontaie Allen, who transferred from Kentucky to Western Kentucky this past offseason, sat out Monday’s Hilltoppers basketball game in the Cayman Islands because his collegiate eligibility has come into question.

A statement from head coach Rick Stansbury posted by WKU on Twitter said the issue concerning Allen took place during his time at UK.

“Dontaie Allen will not be available today while an eligibility matter related to his previous school and conference is clarified. We hope to have the situation resolved soon.”

The Hilltoppers are scheduled to play three games in this week’s Cayman Islands Classic at Grand Cayman.

Allen has come off the bench in all three of his games as a Hilltopper. The 6-foot-6 redshirt junior is averaging 8.0 points and 2.7 rebounds in 12.8 minutes per game. He’s made four of nine three-point attempts (44.4 percent).

UK Athletics released a statement concerning Allen’s situation later in the day on Monday.

“UK is aware of the statement from Western Kentucky regarding Dontaie Allen, and is working with them to resolve the situation.”

The 2019 Mr. Basketball from Pendleton County High School spent three seasons at UK before entering the NCAA transfer portal last March. He decided in April to move to Bowling Green.

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 joined Western Kentucky with three seasons of eligibility remaining.

Allen 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.

Western Kentucky (3-1) suffered its first defeat of the season in the game Allen sat out Monday, falling to Akron 72-53. The Hilltoppers moved to the consolation portion of the Cayman Islands Classic bracket where they were scheduled to face Illinois State on Tuesday. Wednesday’s schedule calls for an appearance in the fifth- or seventh-place game.

Herald-Leader Staff Writer Ben Roberts contributed to this article.

This story was originally published November 21, 2022 at 2:58 PM.