Florida Gators finish basketball recruiting class on Wednesday

Billy Donovan and the Florida Gators basketball program picked up two more National Letters of Intent on Wednesday when Keith Stone and KeVaugh Allen put pen to paper on the first day of the spring signing period.

The 6-7 Stone helped lead Zion Lutheran to a 20-8 record during his senior season. Stone is a quality scorer who can shoot from the perimeter as well as play in transition. He’s also a good rebounder, making him somewhat of a combo forward. Stone can get to the rim off straight-line drives and looks to be a great fit for what Donovan likes to run offensively.

Allen was recently named the Arkansas 2014-15 Gatorade Boys’ Basketball Player of the Year after he averaged 25.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 3.1 steals per game at North Little Rock High School. The 6-3 guard can create his own shot, attack the basket and has deep range.

With Michael Frazier II leaving school early for the NBA, Allen will be called upon early, along with Brandone Francis, to pick up some of the slack on offense for the Gators.

Stone and Allen joined Noah Dickerson and Kevarrius Hayes. Stone, Dickerson, Hayes and USF transfer John Egbunu will help solve Florida’s front court issues. All four signees for the 2015 class are rated inside the ESPN top-100.

The two signings on Wednesday put the Gators one over their 13 allotted scholarships for the 2015-16 season. Junior-to-be Chris Walker is reportedly considering whether to return to school or go pro. The Gators have some time to figure the issue out and all four freshmen are expected to be on campus this summer.

 

Florida’s 2015 scholarship roster as of today:

Kasey Hill, guard, junior
Chris Chiozza, guard, sophomore
Devin Robinson, forward, sophomore
John Egbunu, center, redshirt sophomore
Dorian Finney-Smith, forward, redshirt senior
Chris Walker, center, junior
DeVon Walker, guard/forward, redshirt junior
Eli Carter, guard, redshirt senior
Alex Murphy, forward, redshirt senior
Brandone Francis, guard, sophomore
Kevarrius Hayes, forward, freshman
Noah Dickerson, forward, freshman
Keith Stone, forward, freshman
KeVaughn Allen, guard, freshman

Nick de la Torre
A South Florida native, Nick developed a passion for all things sports at a very young age. His love for baseball was solidified when he saw Al Leiter’s no-hitter for the Marlins live in May of 1996. He was able to play baseball in college but quickly realized there isn’t much of a market for short, slow outfielders that hit around the Mendoza line. Wanting to continue with sports in some capacity he studied journalism at the University of Central Florida. Nick got his first start in the business as an intern for a website covering all things related to the NFL draft before spending two seasons covering the Florida football team at Bleacher Report. That job led him to GatorCountry. When he isn’t covering Gator sports, Nick enjoys hitting way too many shots on the golf course, attempting to keep up with his favorite t.v. shows and watching the Heat, Dolphins and Marlins. Follow him on twitter @NickdelatorreGC