Ray Allen I started on the road to what would eventually become UConn’s Hall of Fame career in 1993, when the Huskies were all going up under Jim Calhoun but not yet a national power.
Thirty years later, his son, Walter Ray Allen IIIwill attempt to take the first steps toward embarking on what he hopes will be a similar path, this time at a different school in New England.
Allen III committed to the University of Rhode Island, where he would play as a collegiate favorite. The 6-foot-1 shooting guard from Gulliver Prep, Florida confirmed his commitment Instagram page last week.
Allen was not considered a high-ranking recruit in the Class of 2023, and he is not rated by most recruiting services. He was also reportedly considering UMass before deciding on URI, which is led by head coach Archie Miller, who is entering his second year at the helm after previous stops at Indiana and Dayton.
Allen’s Gulliver Prep was at the HoopHall Classic in Springfield, MA this past season, where they faced Notre Dame-West Haven and lost, 64-46.
As has been the case throughout his life, Allen III will pause his work while trying to follow in his father’s footsteps. Ray Allen made an immediate impact as a freshman at UConn, averaging 12.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.1 steals per game as a freshman with the Huskies. UConn reached the Sweet 16 in each of Storrs’ Ray seasons and fell to the Elite Eight before losing to eventual champion UCLA in 1995.