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32 Desmond Allison

Name
Desmond Allison
Position
Guard-Forward
Class
SO
Hometown (Last School)
Tampa, FL (Robinson)
Ht
6'5"
Wt
214
Seasons
1998-99, 1999-00
Birthday
December 18, 1979

Desmond Allison was born Desmond Ahsha Allison on December 18, 1979, in Columbus, Ohio to Detria Allison and Esmond Flood, Jr.  He was a native of Tampa. Florida.

Allison led Robinson High School, in Tampa, Florida, to the 1998 Class 4A state semifinals, the school’s first state tournament appearance since 1980.  He averaged 34.5 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 9.0 assists per game as a senior, just missing a triple-double.  Allison finished his career with 2,280 points.  He was named Hillsborough County High School Male Athlete of the Year by the St. Petersburg Times after earning all-state honors in basketball, football and track.  On the gridiron, he averaged 22.9 yards per catch on 38 receptions. He caught 15 TD passes and scored 23 TDs during the season. Allison helped the Knights to a 4A state quarterfinal berth in the school’s first playoff appearance since 1977.  In track, he was region champ in the 400 meters and ran the anchor leg on Robinson’s 4 x 400 team, finishing fifth at the state meet.  During his senior season, he scored six TDs in back-to-back playoff football games and, in between, averaged 30.5 points per game in two hoops contests.  He was an all-state selection as a junior after averaging 36.7 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 7.9 assists per game to lead the Knights to a 27-3 mark and a 4A regional berth.  As a sophomore, he averaged a triple-double with 27.8 points, 12.8 rebounds, and 10.2 assists per game.

On November 18, 1997, Allison signed to play for Kentucky.  He chose Kentucky over Texas, South Florida, Ohio State, and Indiana.  Joining him in that year’s recruiting class were Tayshaun Prince, Jules Camara, and J.P. Blevins.  It seems that Kentucky fans could have been credited with an assist in the signing of Allison. While eating dinner on a recruiting visit to Lexington, the 6-6 forward was repeatedly approached for autographs.  Allison, a native of Tampa, Fla., had been considering Texas and South Florida. But that, and other glimpses of Big Blue Fever, convinced him that he didn’t want to play in a place where football was king. Just days after returning home, he decided to commit to UK.

“When you get up there, it’s all basketball,” he said. “It’s a place where you can win a national championship and utilize your talents. I fell in love with the place. There’s probably no place better to go for college basketball.”

As a freshman at Kentucky, Allison started the last 17 games at shooting guard and played in 36 of the 37 contests.  He finished the season averaging 15.4 minutes and 4.7 points per game, good for eighth on the team.  On February 20, 1999, he had career highs of 12 points and six assists against Arkansas.  He grabbed five rebounds on four occasions.  Allison became a defensive specialist, but also succeeded offensively, hitting 50.0 percent from the field and three-point range during the NCAA Tournament, while averaging 5.2 points per game, which tied for fifth on the team in scoring.  Against Auburn, he scored two of his 10 points before the shot clock expired to help stave off a Tiger rally in the SEC tourney, his fifth double-figure performance of the season.  Allison finished the SEC slate tied for fifth in assist-to-turnover ratio against league competition.  Against LSU, Allison made the start while suffering from the stomach flu. Despite sickness during and after the game, he was 4-of-5 from the field, 2-of-2 from three-point range, to finish with 11 points and two steals in 21 minutes.  His break-through game came at Vanderbilt where he canned two three-pointers in the first half after hitting only two threes all year.  Allison scored his first collegiate points against EKU on his first shot attempt. 

As a sophomore, Allison scored in double figures 11 times including a career-high 23 points against Vanderbilt.  He started 42 consecutive games before one miss.  Allison finished fourth on the team in scoring and second in assists.  Just days before the 2000 NCAA  Tournament, Allison was arrested for driving under the influence. His blood-alcohol content at the time of the arrest was 0.113.  On June 22, 2000, Allison pleaded guilty.  Under UK’s no-tolerance alcohol policy, he was automatically suspended from the team and would not have been allowed to remain on the team after pleading guilty.

In the summer of 2000, Allison signed with NAIA school Martin Methodist College in Pulaski, Tennessee.

Allison was shot and killed in Columbus, Ohio, on Monday, July 25, 2011.  

College Statistics:

NCAA

SeasonTeamMINFGMFGA3PM3PAFTMFTAORDRPFASTTOBLKSTLPTSGMPGFG%FT%3P%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
Kentucky5536412821542132205249453012201703615.450.0065.6338.892.01.30.60.34.7
Kentucky801791873193536836817573446252423125.842.2577.9433.333.82.40.80.27.8
Total-13541433155214774100561331241187418454126720.245.4074.0035.372.81.80.70.36.1

Career Totals

SeasonMINFGMFGA3PM3PAFTMFTAORDRPFASTTOBLKSTLPTSGMPGFG%FT%3P%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
1998-995536412821542132205249453012201703615.450.0065.6338.892.01.30.60.34.7
1999-00801791873193536836817573446252423125.842.2577.9433.333.82.40.80.27.8
Total13541433155214774100561331241187418454126720.245.4074.0035.372.81.80.70.36.1

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