UMKC transfer Shemarri Allen commits to UCF men’s basketball
University of Missouri-Kansas City men’s basketball transfer Shemarri Allen has committed to UCF, he told the Sentinel on Thursday.
Allen’s oral pledge to the Knights, which Rivals.com first reported, follows an official visit to UCF’s campus.
“It was great,” Allen said in a message to the Sentinel about the visit. “[I] love the staff.”
The 6-foot-4 guard, who is rated as a 4-star transfer by 247Sports.com, is the second player Johnny Dawkins has landed out of the NCAA portal this spring. Allen joins Jacksonville’s Omar Payne, who committed to the Knights on April 26.
A second-team All-Summit League selection, Allen made 28 starts for UMKC last season and averaged 17 points, 5 rebounds and 2.7 assists as a senior. He added 2 steals per contest as well, which earned him a spot on the Summit League all-defensive team despite missing the final three games of the season with an injury.
He spent the past two years at UMKC after beginning his college career at Cowley Community College in Kansas. In two seasons at UMKC, Allen appeared in 59 games.
At Cowley as a sophomore, Allen started 21 games for the national runner-up, including all four NJCAA National Tournament games in 2021.
That type of experience, as well as his time at UMKC, was badly needed by the Knights entering their inaugural season in the Big 12 Conference.
UCF had three guards — Ty Freeman, PJ Edwards and Jayhlon Young — enter the transfer portal since the season ended (19-15, 8-10 AAC).
This will be Allen’s final year of eligibility.
Email Jason Beede at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com or follow him on Twitter at @therealBeede.
