WKU announces Dontaie Allen OUT for Akron game due to eligibility issue

Western Kentucky basketball was without junior wing Dontaie Allen Monday against Akron. We now know that absence is due to some eligibility issues regarding his transfer from Kentucky last offseason.

The team Twitter account released a statement from head coach Rick Stansbury, who explained the situation with Allen and why he was not able to play against the Zips. Here was that message:

“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.”

Doesn’t sound like anything too concerning. Just a clerical issues regarding his transfer from the SEC to the Conference USA. Allen has appeared in three games already as a Hilltopper in 2022 and is averaging eight points a game on 47% field goal shooting.

Before transferring to Western Kentucky, Allen was a member of the Kentucky basketball team for three years, where he redshirted his first year after tearing his knee up during his final year of high school ball.

CLICK HERE to subscribe for FREE to the On3 YouTube channel

In his second season with the Wildcats, Allen played sparingly to start the year but exploded onto the scene with seven three pointers in an overtime win at Mississippi State. His highlights beyond that game were fairly limited as he and the team struggled mightily for the rest of the season as Kentucky eventually ended the year with a 9-16 record, the worst in school history.

Then, Kentucky rebounded the next year and rose back up to contender status while Allen became an afterthought. After showing flashes as a redshirt freshman, most notably in that Mississippi State win, Allen appeared in just 19 games as a sophomore and shot below 30% from the field, with his three-point percentage sinking below 20%.