The son of Villanova hall of famer Malik Allen is coming to the Main Line to carve out his own legacy.
The Villanova Wildcats have secured their first commit for the Class of 2025, and there are some family ties.
Dante Allen announced his verbal commitment on Wednesday, selecting the Wildcats over his other finalists, Georgia and Tennessee.
Allen, a 6-foot-4, 220-pound guard averaged more than 21.0 points per game over back-to-back seasons as a sophomore and junior at Riviera Prep (Fla.). Last year, he averaged 21.0 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 3.4 steals per game, while shooting 59% on the floor.
The two-way guard followed up with a productive offseason, playing for the Nightrydas Elite AAU program on the Nike EYBL circuit. He helped Nightrydas capture its third straight Peach Jam Championship. He averaged 15.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.2 steals per game, while shooting 57.5% throughout the summer.
This year, he elected to transfer to powerhouse Montverde Academy, where he’s gearing up for his senior high school season, before coming to Villanova.
He is the son of former Wildcat Malik Allen, who is a member of the Villanova Athletics Hall of Fame.
The elder Allen played in 125 games for the Wildcats, averaging 9.1 points and 5.7 rebounds per game throughout his four-year career. He was a second-team All-Big East pick as a senior, before going on to play 10 years in the NBA. He is now an assistant coach for the Miami Heat.