Mr. Basketball Dontaie Allen with coach Keaton Belcher (Larry Vaught Photo)
Many Kentucky fans — as well as nationwide fans that might have been watching on ESPN — were surprised at how well Kentucky freshman Dontaie Allen played against Mississippi State. But not Keaton Belcher, Allen’s former coach at Pendleton County High School.
“I have been watching him do that since eighth grade,” said Belcher, who played at Belmont College. “It was not surprising to me at all.”
Allen went 7-for-11 from 3-point range and scored 23 points in the double overtime win over the Bulldogs. He played 32 minutes and had five rebounds and one blocked shot. All his numbers were career highs after he played just 20 minutes in UK’s first seven games.
He scored 3,255 points —11th best in state history — at Pendleton County and averaged 42.9 points and 14.2 rebounds in the 13 games he played his senior season before a torn ACL ended his year. He score 50 or more points in six of his first 12 games before he was hurt in the 13th game.
What about his defense that seems to have worried so many fans?
“Everybody has been talking about his defense but I did not see anything that hurt. I thought he was solid,” Belcher said.
What about hitting seven 3-pointers?
“Him making seven 3’s is normal. He did that a lot for us,” Belcher said.
Same with the rebounding. He had 1,228 rebounds in high school, the state’s 22nd best mark.
“He had two or three triple doubles his senior year before he got injured,” Belcher said. “He just has a knack for finding the ball.”
Belcher thought getting to play extended minutes helped Allen get more comfortable and play with more confidence.
“His game just evolved and then he caught fire,” Belcher said. “We don’t know what could happen the next game (against Vanderbilt on Tuesday night). He could start or be on the bench. He could be face guarded and have trouble getting off a shot. He may not score 20 points the rest of the season. But we were 1-6 and this was a must win. It was a great time for him to do what he did.”
Allen mainly talked about the value of hard work and maintaining focus after the game. He didn’t complain about a lack of playing time or flaunt he knew he would make shots.
“We watched the postgame Zoom conference and the one with SEC Network on the court,” Belcher said. “He has been the same humble kid since he was 13 years old. Even in high school if he had a 50-point game he would make sure he mentioned his teammates.
“He is just a special kid and one thing he knows is how to make shots.”
