Florida lands Cleveland State transfer Tyree Appleby

Florida hit the transfer realm again thanks to the commitment of Tyree Appleby. The 6-foot-1 guard comes to Gainesville after starting his college career at Cleveland State and will sit out next season before seeing his eligibility begin again in the fall of 2020.

Appleby submitted his name into the transfer portal at the beginning of the month. From there, a group including Arkansas, Iowa State, Tennessee, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech expressed heavy interest in the Arkansas native. However, his visit to the SEC campus over the weekend sealed the deal for the Gators, giving Florida a potent scorer that can play either guard position.

Mike White, formerly the head coach at Louisiana Tech, coached Appleby’s older brother, Raheem Appleby, in Ruston, where scored over 1,7000 points. The younger sibling has already scored over 899 points in his two-year career and should be an offensive sparkplug once his eligibility begins.

At Cleveland State last season, Appleby made over 38 percent of his 3-point tries. He posted per-game averages of 17.2 points, 5.6 assists and 3.7 rebounds. He has shown the capacity to fill at either position which should make him a valuable piece in UF’s backcourt thanks to the questions that they could face once the season completes.

The Gators could potentially see four of its perimeter producers test the NBA waters next spring. Enrolling freshmen Tre Mann and Scottie Lewis, along with returning sophomores Andrew Nembhard and Keyontae Johnson, have already garnered professional interest. Chances are that at least two will leave early for the NBA which makes Appleby’s commitment that much more valuable with the long-term in mind.