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John Curry, stepfather of 4* shooting guard KeVaughn Allen, called into Sports Talk with Bo Mattingly Tuesday afternoon and addressed Allen's standing with the Gators as well as how he feels about Mike Anderson and the Razorbacks.
Listen to the interview in its entirety here.
Curry said that Allen has not yet officially asked for a release, but said, "It's coming" once Florida hires a new coach. Curry said his understanding is that Allen can not officially request a release until the new coach is hired. But he did say that Donovan was Allen's main draw to Florida, and now of course, the school's biggest attraction for Allen is gone.
When asked if Florida might be able to hire a coach who could keep Allen in blue and orange, Curry admitted it was possible but sounded like he believed it unlikely. Allen originally committed to Florida in April 2014, but did not sign in the early signing period, raising doubts about how committed he actually was to the Gators. There was speculation at the time that Arkansas or Memphis might get involved, but Allen never publicly decommitted from Florida. He eventually signed with the Gators early in the spring signing period.
The topic eventually turned to the Razorbacks, and Curry dispelled any rumors that Allen did not have any interest in Arkansas, nor was it true that Mike Anderson did not recruit Allen heavily.
"He's always had interest in Arkansas," he said. "Arkansas was always in his top three," adding again that the lure of working with Donovan was the driving factor in his decision to commit to Florida.
If you listen to the interview, it should be safe to say there is definite interest in Arkansas. It would be absolutely huge for Mike Anderson to land Allen for the 2015 class. The biggest question for next season is where points will come from with the departure of four of the Hogs' top scorers. Bringing in another top-70 4* shooting guard to go along with Jimmy Whitt - and who already has experience playing with Anton Beard - would alleviate some of those concerns.
What a coup for the Razorbacks this would be.
As always, everything is fluid in recruiting and nothing is certain. It's very common for basketball players to be given a release from their NLI if the coach they signed with leaves, but I would not celebrate yet until Allen has publicly committed to Arkansas.
Arkansas has two scholarships available this spring. The only known visitor at this time is power forward Ebuka Izundu, who is scheduled to visit Arkansas this weekend.