Allen gets word out for Gators
MOUNTAIN BROOK, Ala. — Florida guard KeVaughn Allen is speaking up.
Allen, a guard from North Little Rock known for his quiet nature, is becoming more vocal going into his senior season.
“KeVaughn’s come out of his shell a little bit,” Gators Coach Mike White said at SEC media days. “He’s communicating more and has been very talkative in practice.
“He’s matured quite a bit.” Florida senior center Kevarrius Hayes said Allen is becoming a vocal leader.
“KeVaughn is speaking up, calling out the right plays and switches on defense,” Hayes said. “You hear his voice and it kind of shocks you a little bit.
“It’s good to see him developing that part of his game.”
Allen has 1,297 points to rank 30th on Florida’s career scoring list, but he had a dip in production offensively last season.
After averaging 11.6 points as a freshman and 14.0 as a sophomore, Allen averaged 11.0 as a junior.
White said Allen’s average was deceptive considering the Gators at times had four high-level scorers in the game together with the addition of Jalen Hudson and Egor Koulechov.
Hudson, who redshirted two seasons ago after transferring from Virginia Tech, averaged a team-high 15.5 points. Koulechov, a graduate transfer from Rice, averaged 13.8 points and senior guard Chris Chiozza averaged 11.1.
“I just thought KeVaughn blended a little bit too much last year,” White said. “But he also showed how unselfish he is.”
Hudson is back as a fifth-year senior, but with Koulechov and Chiozza gone, Allen’s scoring figures to pick up.
“KeVaughn’s being more aggressive in practice,” White said. “Right now he’s playing like a senior, and we certainly hope that continues.”