Gator Country

Class of 2014 shooting guard Grayson Allen (Providence School/Jacksonville, Fla.) made an unofficial visit to the University of Florida this past Saturday.

Although it was only for a brief amount of time, Allen was able to tour the campus and basketball facilities as well as talk with Florida Gators basketball coach Billy Donovan.

“I was impressed,” Allen said. “Everything was really nice. My favorite part was when I got to sit down and talk with coach Donovan about how he sees me fitting in [at Florida].”

“[Donovan] said their offense is really made for guards that can do the things that he saw me do this summer.”

The 6-foot-4, 185-pound shooting guard saw his stock rise significantly after several strong showings throughout the AAU season. Allen has received scholarship offers from several schools including Florida, Cincinnati, Illinois, Purdue, Tennessee and Texas, among others.

With Donovan explaining how Allen can fit into the Florida offense, Allen plans on keeping a close eye on the Gators this season to see exactly how their playing style coincides with his skill set.

“I’m going to be watching how Florida plays, along with some other schools this upcoming season, to see exactly what kind of style they play and what I think I can do in that style,” Allen said.

Allen said he hopes to make it back down to Gainesville for a basketball game, but he will “definitely be watching them on television.”

Over the years, it has been the guard position that has remained a source of strength for Donovan and the basketball team and that aspect of Florida stuck out to Allen.

“I’ve heard from many people that they’re very guard friendly,” Allen said. “Plus, their consistency in making it to the NCAA Tournament and doing well also stands out.

Allen came away impressed from the unofficial visit.

“I feel like [the visit] went great,” Allen said. “A lot of people told me the campus was really spread out, so that was my only concern going in, but I didn’t think it was too spread out.”

No timetable has been set for Allen when it comes to making a decision, but he says a decision will come when he feels comfortable with a school and his mind is 100 percent made up.

About the author

DrewLaing

Drew Laing is a junior at Samford University in Birmingham, Ala. Before college, Drew lived in Lakeland, Fla., his entire life. He began in journalism during his senior year of high school and has continued studying it throughout college. In addition to his internship at Gator Country, he is the Editor-In-Chief of The Samford Crimson and a collegiate correspondent for USA Today. Drew enjoys the finer things in life like Tampa Bay Rays baseball and PB&J sandwiches.

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