Last April, Allen committed to the University of Florida. His high school coach Johnny Rice told me that until that point Arkansas had heavily recruited him but backed off after he committed to play for Billy Donovan.
Arkansas coaches could have tried harder, though, according to Allen’s long-time AAU coach and trainer Kahn Cotton. Cotton, who has trained Allen most mornings for the last five years, recalls that coaches with Louisville, Florida, Connecticut, Baylor, Tennessee and Memphis had all personally visited Allen or watched one of his games more times than Arkansas coaches had before last April. “Florida had been here three times and Arkansas came once in that time period … Baylor had been down four times, Tennessee three times, Memphis five or six times by that time.”
Arkansas’ coaches can’t speak for themselves on this matter, as Allen hasn’t yet signed with a program. But it doesn’t seem Allen was as high of a priority for Mike Anderson and his staff as other in-state players like Bobby Portis and now Malik Monk (Anderson and every Razorback basketball player except Alandise Harris [who was ill] watched a December double-header which included a game between Monk’s Bentonville team and St. Louis Chaminade).
There was a flare of hope among Razorback fans a couple months ago when Allen – who according to Rice is averaging around 23 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.8 steals per game while shooting around 55% on field goals and 38% on threes – chose not to sign early with Florida. Also last fall Arkansas commit K.J. Hill, his classmate and teammate, told Sync’s Nate Olson he would try to persuade him to join him on the Hill.
Twice, at different points in the phone interview, I asked Allen if he was going to sign with Florida in the spring and twice he said “yes.” I asked him if he planned to visit any other campuses and he said “no.” When I asked Allen how many times Hill had tried to convince him to come to the UA, Allen said “two or three times.”
I then asked him what he said in response. “I’ll consider it,” he said, referring to what he told Hill. I asked him if he’s considering it {going to Arkansas} any longer and he said “no.” He reaffirmed his plan to sign with Florida and said he will not visit any other programs.
He added the only current or committed/signed Gator player he’s in contact with is big man Noah Dickerson. It’s unclear where 6-3 Allen would fit in next year. Florida’s 2015-16 guard returnees will likely include star Michael Frazier, fellow 4-star+ talents in Kasey Hill, Chris Chiozza and Brandone Francis, along with incoming transfer Eli Carter. That’s a loaded backcourt which has already factored in two players – Braxton Ogbueze and Dillon Graham – transferring out of the program.
That’s why some programs like Tennessee, Memphis, Texas A&M, Missouri, California and Arkansas (by phone) are still recruiting Allen, Cotton says. He believes Allen would have the likelihood of significantly more playing time at other programs*.
Meanwhile, on the football front, it’s not exactly set where K.J. Hill will land.
The future of the dynamic, four-star wide receiver who may also play guard in college basketball is in doubt after the departure of Arkansas offensive coordinator Jim Cheney was announced this weekend. Hill had said Chaney was a major reason he chose Arkansas in the first place.
“Jim Chaney leaving Arkansas for the same job at Pittsburgh makes receiver K.J. Hill’s commitment uncertain at this time, according to his stepfather Montez Peterson,” the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette’s Richard Davenport wrote. “He said they have also heard rumors of receivers coach Michael Smith leaving and Hill will keep his options open.”
Allen says he has not lately spoken to Hill about his collegiate future.
* Like Florida, Arkansas doesn’t have a clear-cut opening in its backcourt next season. The Hogs’ guard returnees are Anton Beard, Manuale Watkins, Anthlon Bell, Nick Babb and Jabril Durham. While the Hogs lose an anchor in Ky Madden, they gain sharp-shooting transfer Dusty Hannahs and Jimmy Whitt, a scoring prodigy who’s putting up more than 30 points and four steals a game for his Columbia, Mo. high school.
All the same, plenty of programs could find minutes for a player the caliber of Allen.
