Kyle Neptune's Villanova adds 4-star Guard as first recruit in 2025 class

Modified Oct 17, 2024 15:59 GMT

Villanova has landed its first recruit from the Class of 2025. On Wednesday, Monteverde Academy combo guard Dante Allen committed to the Wildcats, led by coach Kyle Neptune.

Dante Allen is ranked No. 50 in the 2025 ESPN 100 recruiting class while being 247Sports' No. 62 overall player in the Class of 2025. The 6-foot-4 combo guard is also the No. 10 ranked combo guard in his class and the No. 13 player in the state of Florida.

He chose Villanova over his final three programs, which included Tennessee and Georgia. He previously eliminated Miami, Creighton, LSU, Marquette, Syracuse, Memphis, Illinois and Notre Dame from his list of possible schools. Allen's choice of the Wildcats isn't a surprise, as his father, Miami Heat assistant coach Malik Allen, also used to play for Villanova, but as a forward.

The four-star combo guard has already transferred to Montverde Academy in Florida for his senior year. He spent most of his high school career with Riviera Prep, averaging 21.0 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.4 steals and 3.0 assists during his junior year. He was also 45.3% from behind the arc that year.

Allen has won plenty of accolades at Riviera Prep, earning him the Miami-Dade 4A-2A Boys Basketball Player of the Year and leading the school to back-to-back Florida state championships as a senior and junior. He also has three Nike EYBL championships under his belt, playing for Nightrydas with the Boozer twins, Cameron and Cayden.

Dante Allen talks about choosing Villanova

Dante Allen spoke with 247Sports regarding his decision to go there, saying that he could see himself going to the school.

"I enjoyed being there, and I enjoyed the feeling basketball-wise," he said. "I know they loved me for a really long time since they offered me a little before my sophomore year. Through that time, I saw how a lot of things I do can be translated there. They've been able to see that in my game, and they have a really good development plan there for me."

He also said he played some games with members of the Wildcats' roster, noting that he liked going toe-to-toe with them and complimenting how hard they played. He also said they did not make things easy for him.

When it comes to Coach Neptune, the combo guard said he believes he fits the coach's system and admitted that Neptune was aggressive in his efforts to recruit the Florida native.