Photo by Shawn Smith | Go Big Blue Country
Pendleton County Star Dontaie Allen wanted to be Different
Pendleton County coach Keaton Belcher’s ringing cell phone went to voicemail. The caller was Purdue coach Matt Painter and he was calling to check in on Pendleton County star Dontaie Allen, who picked up an offer from the Boilermakers earlier this spring.
Ringing phones and messages have been the norm for Allen this spring. The 6-foot-7 wing has received offers from the likes of Dayton, Nevada, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, and Xavier in recent weeks. Additionally, he holds offers from Eastern Kentucky, Illinois State, Morehead State, and Western Kentucky.
As a junior at Pendleton County, Allen finished the year as the states third leading scorer with an average of 31.8 points per game. He shot a scorching 59-percent from the floor, including a 39-percent clip from three-point range (74 of 187). He also cashed in at the charity stripe by connecting on 80-percent of his free throw attempts.
The little town of Falmouth in Pendleton County is made up of 2,139 people, according to the most recent census in 2016. A talent like Allen usually decides to attend prep school, but he never considered leaving. He feels like he owes it to the people of the community who have supported him throughout his playing career.
“Just knowing I had the community behind me and I wanted to be different,” said Allen. “I wanted to be able to say I had the opportunity to make it from Pendleton, because it has been done before. I just wanted to be different.”
Allen’s work ethic separates him from other players. Before the first bell rings for school, Allen has already worked on his game. After practice, he follows the same routine. He’s the first to arrive and the last to leave, something that has stood out to Belcher.
“I definitely think his work ethic will carry over to the college level,” said Belcher. We start school at 8:05 every morning and routinely he is here everyday by 6:30 a.m. on his own. That just speaks volumes about what type of competitor he is and how driven he is to get better and improve his game.”
Ever since fans were made aware of Allen’s talent and his location, they want nothing more than to see him wear the blue and white. The Big Blue Nation desperately wants a homegrown talent to cheer for in the coming seasons. Allen could be the one, as he has already visited Kentucky unofficially this summer.
“At first we pretty much just toured campus and after that we went and looked at the Craft Center. We just sat down and talked. They really emphasized that I wasn’t there because my addressed ended with Ky.”
A few decades ago, Allen would be destined to end up at the University of Kentucky. However, in recent years, the Wildcats haven’t signed an in-state prospect. The last was Derek Willis and Dominique Hawkins in the 2013 class.
The good news for Kentucky fans is Allen grew up cheering for the Wildcats. He currently doesn’t hold an offer from Kentucky, but receiving one would be a dream come true. While he admits that he would have to look at the situation before making a decision, him playing at Kentucky would mean so much to young basketball players in the state.
“It would mean the world,” Allen said. “Just because it would give Kentucky kids hope.”
