Evin Demirel: KeVaughn Allen Considered Hogs, But No More; And KJ Hill?

 

Editor’s Note: The following is an excerpt from Evin Demirel’s The Sports Seer blog

By Evin Demirel

Just got off the phone with KeVaughn Allen, the North Little Rock High senior who’s one of the nation’s top shooting guards.  I was interviewing him for an upcoming story for SLAM magazine, but also wanted to know the latest on this two-time state champion’s recruitment status.

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.

To continue reading about Evin’s phone conversation with KeVaughn Allen and concerns about where KJ Hill stands with his his commitment to the Razorbacks, click here…

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KeVaughn Allen sticks with Billy Donovan

 

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