Dontaie Allen signs with Kentucky

Kentucky commit Dontaie Allen has officially signed his Letter of Intent with the Wildcats. He did so during a Friday ceremony at Pendleton County High School:

Allen, a native of Falmouth, Kentucky, has been raved upon by Big Blue faithful since his commitment back in early August for choosing to stay at home and play for Kentucky.

“Dontaie is one of Kentucky’s finest,” UK head coach John Calipari said in a press release. “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.”

The in-state commit has been a rarity in John Calipari’s Kentucky tenure. In fact, not including walk ons, the only Kentucky natives to play at Kentucky under Calipari are Darius Miller, Derek Willis and Dominique Hawkins.

Because of that, Allen will be an instant fan favorite when he gets to Kentucky’s campus, now that he is officially locked in to play.

“As far back as I can remember, I’ve been a UK fan,” Allen said in a press release. “The walls in my room are painted UK blue with pictures of Rupp Arena hanging with hopes and dreams of someday playing there. So many great players have come through the University of Kentucky. Being born and raised in this great state, this has been a dream of mine.

”Competing against elite level players reminds me of what my parents always told me: ‘Steel sharpens steel.’ I carry that with me. Having the opportunity to play for a Hall of Fame Coach in Coach Cal at an elite program like Kentucky in front of the best fans in the world, the Big Blue Nation, I’m just blessed and very thankful. Big Blue dreams do come true.”

Allen is a 6-6 forward weighing in at 185 pounds. He has a high skill level and since being labeled as more of a “tweener” power forward at the time of his commitment Allen has molded to more of a scoring minded small forward. He has upped his ball handling ability, the mechanics of his jumper looks splendid and his body is really filling out to the mold of a classic wing.

He is a four star recruit at the moment but as Kentucky has witnessed in the recent past with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Tyler Herro those stars do not necessarily matter. Allen is in the best position for him and will be in an environment of embracement with Big Blue Nation. All that was required to seal the deal was the ink on the paper; and that has now been completed.

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