Meet Florida Gators basketball guard Kevaughn Allen

By: Jenna Ladd

As the quietest person on the team, freshman guard KeVaughn Allen is one Gator that is hard to get to know. However, as the standout recruit that has already been compared to Bradley Beal before ever hitting the court, Florida Gators basketball fans are eager to learn more about this impressive ball player.

Hailing from North Little Rock High School in Arkansas, KeVaughn averaged 25.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.1 steals per game, making him number 56 in the ESPN top 100 for the class of 2015. Despite being on the shorter end of the spectrum at 6’3”, this freshman has ups and knows how to use them. Devin Robinson commented on his dunking skills saying, “That kid can dunk… He’s definitely going to have an impact on our team this year.”

Billy Donovan initially recruited Allen, and after the coaching staff change to Michael White he elected to keep his commitment to play for the Gators. “I was unsure at first, but after meeting with Coach White I quickly regained my confidence in what he wanted to do with this program,” Allen said.

Despite only being here for the summer, this true freshman has already impressed the coaching staff with both his athleticism and his work ethic. “KeVaughn is fighting for those — one of those wing positions,” Coach White said. “He’s very talented. He’s in the gym as much as anybody that we have.”

His coaches are not the only ones that are impressed. Fellow teammate Chris Chiozza took notice of the freshman’s abilities saying, “He’s crazy fast and he’s one of those guys that can find a shot and put it up.” KeVaughn also spends an impressive amount of time in the gym, so much so that he was complaining to the staff that he was unable to access the gym at 4 a.m.

Hopefully once the Gators start to get into practice more, Allen will be able to speak up – at least on the court. The one big critique that the coaching staff had for him was that he is too quiet and does not communicate effectively with his teammates. Thankfully for the Gator Nation, this is something that can be fixed a lot easier than a work ethic or talent issue.

Off of the court, KeVaughn says that he has the same mannerisms. “I’m just a quiet guy, I don’t like to talk much,” he said. When asked what he does like he said that he likes the color blue and enjoys watching a lot of Spongebob.

The young man is a mystery, but once the season starts Florida fans will get to see this talented athlete’s abilities.

“Each day in practice we are pushing ourselves to become better,” Allen said. “Everyone is excited for the season to start.”

 

Andrew Spivey
Andrew always knew he wanted to be involved with sports in some capacity. He began by coaching high school football for six years before deciding to pursue a career in journalism. While coaching, he was a part of two state semifinal teams in the state of Alabama. Given his past coaching experience, he figured covering recruiting would be a perfect fit. He began his career as an intern for Rivals.com, covering University of Florida football recruiting. After interning with Rivals for six months, he joined the Gator Country family as a recruiting analyst. Andrew enjoys spending his free time on the golf course and watching his beloved Atlanta Braves. Follow him on Twitter at @AndrewSpiveyGC.

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