Dante Allen’s path to a bigger role at Miami has been building since the moment Jai Lucas took over the program, and the Hurricanes’ reshaped roster may finally give the sophomore room to do what he does best: score.
Allen wasn’t Miami’s loudest freshman story last season. Shelton Henderson put up the more eye-catching numbers.
But Allen was right there in the mix, appearing in 30 games and averaging 6.6 points on 43.1 percent shooting, along with 2.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists and a steal in 23.9 minutes. It was a solid first step, not the finished product.
The South Florida native came to Coral Gables after originally committing to Villanova as a four-star, top-100 recruit. He had plenty of options, too, with Michigan, Georgia and Notre Dame among the schools involved. But once Lucas got the job, staying home made sense to Allen.
That decision paid off in a big way during Miami’s 26-9 turnaround season. Allen arrived as a combo guard, but the Hurricanes got more from him when they leaned into his scoring.
He was better as a secondary option than as the main organizer, and by the final 16 games he had settled in as the starting shooting guard. Over that stretch, he averaged 6.7 points on 47.7 percent shooting, 2.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 26.4 minutes, and Miami went 11-5.
Now the roster around him looks very different. Miami lost three of its four leading scorers in the offseason, with Malik Reneau (18.9) and Tre Donaldson (16.4) heading to the NBA and Tru Washington (11.9) transferring to Xavier. That leaves Allen’s scoring growth as one of the most important pieces on the board.
There’s also a clear fit element here. Allen shot 36.1 percent from three in the final 16 games, giving Miami the kind of floor spacing that can open up the offense around him.
The Hurricanes also appear to have more depth than they did at points last season, when production off the bench was too uneven and Allen had to absorb extra duties early. Lucas should have more options now and won’t need to lean so hard on the starters.
Allen is projected to start heading into his sophomore year, and that comes with more than just a spot in the lineup. He’s established himself as one of the team’s leaders, and the new roster setup gives him a real chance to take another jump.
Miami has already built a new baseline under Lucas, but the goals haven’t changed. The Hurricanes are chasing the ACC crown and a national championship, and Lucas wants to push even further after making his mark in year one.
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