Wicks Announces Signing of Guards Dontaie Allen and A.J. Wills
LARAMIE, Wyo. (June 18, 2024) – University of Wyoming head men’s basketball coach Sundance Wicks announced the signing of transfer guards Dontaie Allen and A.J. Wills on Tuesday. The Cowboy roster is now complete for the 2024-25 season.
“It’s always nice when you can put a stamp on the end of the recruiting season that says, finished,” Wicks said. “It took us just under 30 days to complete this roster and our last two spots were filled by transfers A.J. Wills (Holy Cross) and Dontaie Allen (Western Kentucky). We had to find the right mix of high character, intensely competitive, deeply connected players that understood the commitment they had to have to be a part of our Cowboy Culture and I think we found that mix.”
Allen is a 6-6, 210-pound guard and is a native of Falmouth, Ky. He spent three seasons at Kentucky before his time at Western Kentucky. Last season, Allen added 8.2 points per game and three rebounds shooting a team-best 40 percent from behind the arc with 56 makes. He scored a season-high 30 points against Florida International and scored in double-figures 11 times.
As a junior, Allen recorded 9.3 points per game and 3.1 rebounds and shot 42 percent from behind the arc. He appeared in 18 games at Kentucky in 2021-22 scoring a season-high 14 points against North Florida. In 2020-21, Allen appeared in 22 games and added 5.4 points per game. He made seven threes in one game.
He was named Mr. Basketball in Kentucky in 2019 and was a Top-100 recruit by Rivals. He finished his high school career with 3,255 career points at Pendleton County High School. He played only 13 games as a senior but averaged 42.9 points per game and 14.2 rebounds.
Wicks on Allen
“I really think Poke fans are going to like Dontaie Allen. We always look first for where a player has won along his journey, and he has done plenty of that! He brings an insane amount of experience to our roster and elite weaponry in his ability to shoot the basketball from beyond the arc. To put it in perspective Dontaie finished last season as 1 of 11 players 6’6”+ in Division I to shoot over 42% from the arc on 55%+ eFG%. He has a great toolbox to work with and his strength, length and experience is going to mean a lot for our program this year. Welcome to the Wild West Dontaie Allen!”
Wills, a native of Richmond, Va., the 6-2, 160-pound guard will have three seasons of eligibility remaining. He appeared in 22 games last season with three starts for the Crusaders. He averaged 16 minutes a game. He finished his freshman season averaging 5.5 points and one assist per game. He shot 36 percent from behind the arc for the season. He scored in double-figures six times and recorded a career-high 12 points twice once coming against Lehigh and once against American. He recorded 11 points and added four assists in a contest against Boston College.
He played for Shining Stars Sports Academy during the 2022-23 season. He is a graduate of L.C. Bird High School in chesterfield, Va. He earned All-Region Honors in 2021-22. He has appeared in the movie Shooting Stars and the series Swagger.
Wicks on Wills
“A.J. will add great depth to our go-guard position. He can create for others and has a unique game that keeps the defense off balance when he is in attack mode. He is one of those rare players who has an extremely efficient and effective floater/runner game that the defense has a hard time keying in on. I also love the fact that he can find the open man, on time and on target. More than 60% of his passes for 3’s last year registered as uncontested for his teammates. Add to the fact that he led Holy Cross in Assist to Turnover ratio, and you have a player who can make the right reads, score and take care of the basketball. Cowboy Country help me welcome A.J. Wills to the family!”
