New transfers allow the South Florida standout to shift into a full-time scoring role, positioning the sharpshooting sophomore to anchor a revamped roster chasing ACC dominance.
MIAMI, Fla. – Shelton Henderson was the more prolific Miami Hurricanes freshman last college basketball season, but Dante Allen wasn’t so far off. While playing in 30 games, he averaged 6.6 points on 43.1 percent shooting, 2.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and a steal in 23.9 minutes. The numbers aren’t flashy, but it was the start of scratching the surface.
Allen originally committed to Villanova as a four-star top-100 recruit before following Jai Lucas to Coral Gables. Despite growing up in Miami, he had other intriguing offers, including Michigan, Georgia, and Notre Dame. It wasn’t until Lucas's hiring that Allen was convinced that staying home was the right path.
The South Florida product played a pivotal role in the Hurricanes’ historic 26-9 turnaround season. Despite coming in as a combo guard, Allen was better utilized as a secondary scoring option rather than a facilitator. In the final 16 games of the season, he was the Hurricanes’ starting shooting guard. Allen averaged 6.7 points on 47.7 percent shooting, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in 26.4 minutes. The Hurricanes went 11-5 in that stretch.
It’s a role that’s proven to lead to success and can stick this upcoming 2026-27 season, even with a new roster. The Hurricanes added Villanova transfer Acaden Lewis and Saint Peter’s transfer Brent Bland, who can take on point guard responsibilities. It allows Allen to be a full-time shooting guard.
During the offseason, the program lost three of its four leading scorers – Malik Reneau (18.9) and Tre Donaldson (16.4) to the NBA and Tru Washington (11.9) transferred to Xavier. Allen’s scoring improvement will be critical to the Hurricanes’ success. Plus, he can space the floor – shooting 36.1 percent from behind the arc in the final 16 games of the season.
The Hurricanes’ depth showed little consistent production, which required Allen to take on extra responsibilities right away. However, the bench appears to have improved significantly throughout the offseason. Lucas won’t have to rely heavily on the starters.
Allen is a projected starter ahead of a sophomore campaign. He’s earned an established status and will be regarded as one of the leaders. The roster ramifications present an opportunity for Allen to take another step in production.
After establishing a new foundation and standard, the Hurricanes are chasing the ACC Crown and National Championship. Lucas made a significant statement as a first-year head coach, but he’s looking to take things even further.
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Anthony Aguirre is the Miami Hurricanes beat writer for Roundtable Sports. Contact info: [email protected] | 305-987-3290 | Follow on Instagram/X: @AnthonyA_Sports
