On Thursday, Kentucky forward Dontaie Allen announced his plans to enter the transfer portal.
It was one of several dominoes to fall that will determine the makeup of next year's roster.
The Cats Illustrated staff chimes in with takes on what Allen's departure means.
Jeff Drummond: I think this news will disappoint a lot of Kentucky fans, who have a special place in their hearts for homegrown talent. I've always believed that Allen would have a chance to make a decent impact at UK if he was patient enough to stick around and wait for his turn. However, this season changed my mind about that. I just don't think he was ever going to get that opportunity due to two factors: (1) the way John Calipari recruits; and (2) the emphasis the UK boss puts on defending and rebounding. The Cats could potentially have Sahvir Wheeler, TyTy Washington, Shaedon Sharpe, and CJ Fredrick coming back next season to go along with five-star recruit Cason Wallace. That's a decent crowd, even if a couple of them decide to leave. A fresh start is probably the best scenario for Allen. From the fans' standpoint, if Allen is successful at his next stop, I think it's fair to ask why guys like Charles Matthews, Johnny Juzang, Mychal Mulder, and Dontaie Allen could never really find consistent minutes in Calipari's system.
David Sisk: I’m sure there will be a lot of people that will disagree with me, but there is nothing to see here. It is no surprise at all that Dontaie Allen is transferring from Kentucky. He simply was not going to be able to contribute there. John Calipari will not play guys he can’t trust defensively, and Allen was a liability on that end. It also didn’t help matters that he struggled with the three point shot last year on a rare occasion when he did get into a game. I think he could flourish at a regional mid-major type of program. I also don’t expect this to be the last departure out. We have now heard from Damion Collins and Allen. The sooner Coach Cal hears from others the sooner he can get to the task at hand which is replenishing the roster.
Travis Graf: It sucks to see a Kentucky kid leave the program, but it’s probably best for all parties involved. Allen didn’t play good enough defense for Cal’s liking, and combine that with his absolutely cold shooting this season, and he just wasn’t playable over other guys. As a “sharpshooter”, you have one job and you have to be able to do it. Allen’s departure frees up a scholarship, which most people saw coming. I think it’s very feasible for Allen to go down a level and be a 15 points per game player at a mid major program.
Justin Rowland: I've got to agree with David. I never expected Allen to be a key contributor for Kentucky. He had a couple of really nice games last season on the worst team in Kentucky history but he's just not the kind of player that Calipari ever seemed eager to coach. I do think he can be a contributor at a high-major program elsewhere or maybe even a very good player at a lower level. Of all the guys on scholarship, Allen seemed to have the worst forecast for playing time moving forward. I'm a little surprised he didn't leave after last season but I respect him for sticking it out as long as he did even as a lightning rod topic.
