Rumo rs circulating about Tyree Appleby's potential decision to enter his name into the transfer portal for a final year of collegiate eligibility were officially confirmed on Monday. According to Travis Branham of 247Sports, Appleby will enter the portal.
Playing two seasons with the Gators in 2020-21 and 2021-22 – after transferring to Florida after two years at Cleveland State – the 6-foot-1, 170-pound point guard contributed to the success Florida saw under former coach Mike White in the past two seasons.
He excelled as a primary ball-handler who flashed streaky shooting and explosiveness off the dribble to average 11.1 points, 3.5 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game in 59 appearances. However, his two-way contributions were often overshadowed by his 2.7 turnovers per game.
Appleby, a two-year starter at guard for the Gators, leaves behind memorable moments while at the University of Florida.
Notably, Appleby produced a 26-point performance to hoist Florida over the No. 2 Auburn Tigers at home and a buzzer-beater triple to knock off Ohio State in the Fort Myers Tip-Off championship.
With Appleby now out of the picture, the beginning of the Todd Golden era at UF brings the tough task of retooling a thin roster at guard.
Thus far, suitable players linked to the Gators to fill Appleby's shoes include Georgia guard Kario Oquendo, Bradley guard Terry Roberts, Belmont guard Will Richard and Murray State guard Justice Hill, among others. The Gators will be active in the portal at all positions as Golden looks to put together a complete roster to begin his efforts to rekindle championship-level basketball at Florida.
However, after Appleby's departure, a primary ball-handler to complement the foundation of Kowacie Reeves Jr. and Niels Lane in the backcourt stands paramount.
More Gators portal targets can be viewed in the Twitter thread below:
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