West Virginia, Iona among new schools to contact Dontaie Allen

Add Rick Pitino to the list of coaches to reach out to Dontaie Allen. The former Kentucky guard’s mother told the Falmouth Outlook that several new schools have reached out since he entered the transfer portal on March 24, including Iona, West Virginia, Notre Dame, Texas A&M, Pittsburgh, and DePaul. Of that group, Allen has spoken directly with Pitino and Bob Huggins. Western Kentucky coach Rick Stansbury also had lunch with Allen and even flew to Virginia to speak to his father. That said, Allen’s mother April said he’s in no rush to decide where to continue his college career, and distance from home isn’t a primary factor.

“He’s going to take his time in making his decision. He’s only focused on finding the right fit and having a coach that truly believes in him “ Allen-Thomas told the Falmouth Outlook.

Initially, Louisville, Virginia Tech, Virginia, Wisconsin, Cincinnati, Xavier, Northern Kentucky, and Western Kentucky expressed interest in Allen, per Jack Pilgrim. Over two seasons at Kentucky, Allen averaged 3.9 points and 1.4 rebounds per game. This season, he averaged just 2.2 points and 1.2 rebounds per game, shooting 29.4% from the field and 18.9% from three in 19 games played. A four-star recruit out of high school, Allen was Kentucky’s first in-state signee since 2013 and the 18th player in program history to earn Kentucky Mr. Basketball honors.

We’ll be cheering for Dontaie wherever he goes, but can you imagine if it’s Iona?