Florida basketball forward Tuongthach Gatkek joined guard Tyree Appleby in the NCAA transfer portal on Thursday.
Florida men’s basketball lost another player from last season’s roster on Thursday. On3’s Matt Zenitz reported that forward [autotag]Tuongthach Gatkek[/autotag] entered his name into the NCAA transfer portal. He’s the third departure the program has suffered this offseason. Guard [autotag]Tyree Appleby[/autotag] submitted his name to the portal on Monday and [autotag]Anthony Duruji[/autotag] declared for the NBA draft, forgoing his fifth year of eligibility.
Gatkek was a late addition to the 2021-22 roster. Florida added him in mid-August after one year at Trinity Valley Community College in Texas. He played in 21 games mainly due to the time starting center Colin Castleton missed this season.
Coming into the season, Gatkek was a redshirt candidate because of how late he arrived on campus. He quickly carved out a role for himself as Florida lacked depth in the frontcourt.
New head coach [autotag]Todd Golden[/autotag] has his work cut out for him as he tries to retool the roster for next season. Florida has already made contact with several players in the transfer portal and should stay active throughout the spring and summer.
After announcing that he would return to college basketball to use his fifth year of eligibility back at the end of March, Florida’s starting point guard [autotag]Tyree Appleby[/autotag] officially entered the transfer portal on Tuesday, as reported by On3’s Matt Zenitz. The decision was widely expected, and while it does not rule out a return to Gainesville, it certainly opens up many new avenues for the talented ballplayer.
Appleby has played with the Gators for two years after transferring from the Cleveland State Vikings — where he also played a pair of seasons — following the 2018-19 campaign. The Jacksonville, Arkansas, native sat out the 2020-21 season as was required by the transfer portal protocol at the time.
Under [autotag]Mike White[/autotag], Appleby averaged 11.2 points and 3.5 assists per game and started 44 of 59 games at Florida. He is best known for his buzzer-beating shot against the Ohio State Buckeyes back in November 2021, as well as his rough-neck play in last year’s NCAA Tournament.
Florida forward Anthony Duruji announced Friday that he will declare for the NBA draft and forgo the rest of his college eligibility.
New head coach Todd Golden is set to see another player from Florida’s roster last season not return. Gators forward [autotag]Anthony Duruji[/autotag] announced on Friday that he will declare for the NBA draft on Friday and will forgo the rest of his college eligibility.
“First, I would like to express my gratitude and say how grateful I am for my time at Florida,” Duruji wrote on Twitter. “I’m thankful for Coach White and the whole coaching staff for giving me the opportunity to further my college career. Huge thank you to Gator Nation & the community of Gainesville. I am blessed to have found my wife and become a Gator graduate. I have gained such great relationships and memories that will last a lifetime.”
He also thanked his teammates, mentors and advisers that have helped him along the way before announcing his intention to enter the NBA draft.
Duruji spent the past two seasons with the Gators after he started his college career at Louisiana Tech. He finished his career at Florida, averaging 7.4 points, 4.2 rebounds and 0.5 blocks per game. In his final season, Duruji posted an average of 8.6 points and 4.1 rebounds per game.
His departure likely won’t be the last player for Florida and Golden this offseason. Center [autotag]Colin Castleton[/autotag] could elect to take the same route as Duruji after he tested the NBA waters last offseason. Point guard [autotag]Tyree Appleby[/autotag] plans to use his fifth year of eligibility but isn’t sure where yet.
Here’s a possibility for the point guard position on next year’s men’s basketball squad.
The Gators have reportedly been in contact with Nelly Cummings, a transferring point guard. He played the 2021-22 season at Colgate and hit the portal as a grad transfer following the season, immediately drawing interest from numerous teams. The only other SEC teams who have been specifically linked with him are Arkansas and Vanderbilt, but there are suitors from every high-major conference.
When evaluating players as a fit under [autotag]Todd Golden[/autotag]’s scheme, the obvious factors to consider are offensive efficiency, rebounding and three-point shooting. Those are areas Florida’s head coach has singled out as in need of improvement. How does Cummings stack up?
Even after the worst season of his career behind the arc, Cummings was an above-average shooter for Colgate last year. Over 40% of the shots he let fly were three-point attempts, and he connected on 36% of them. That rate is substantiated by his consistently excellent free throw shooting. This man knows how to get the ball in the basket.
He’s not a one-trick pony, but Cummings’ offensive efficiency takes a hit when three-point shots are eliminated. He only sunk 40% of his two-point attempts last season and wound up with an unspectacular .8 points per possession on such plays. This drop in effectiveness is to be expected from a smaller guard, but it’s a little concerning when considering whether he can be a difference-maker in the SEC.
One of Cummings’ go-to moves is to fake a dribble drive to get the defender on his back foot and let a shot fly as soon as the opposing player is off balance. In that way, he is able to leverage his height — a disadvantage with defenders closing out — to his advantage by taking the initiative and wagering that his short arms are faster than the defender’s long legs. That’s a staple among small guards and we’ve seen it often during [autotag]Tyree Appleby[/autotag]’s time in Gainesville.
Many people believe that rebounding is a matter of toughness and size, but that’s just not true. The 6-foot-9-inch Oscar Tshiebwe makes no sense as the nations’ best rebounder if we live in a world where the tallest, most muscle-bound players gather the most balls. Rebounding is also influenced by the ability to read the ball off the rim and get to where it’s going to be.
Cummings seems to have that ability, collecting more rebounds than you’d expect from someone standing only 6-feet tall. He averaged over three rebounds per game over the past two years and I’d expect that figure to decline a little facing better athletes in the SEC, but not to an extreme degree.
With only one year of eligibility left for Cummings, he’ll have no runway to get adapted to SEC play. He needs to perform well and quickly. For the Gators, who need a bridge point guard for the 2023 season, it would be easy to sell him on the available minutes.
The question is whether Cummings is the guy the Gators want. If Appleby sticks around for his final season, it wouldn’t make sense to carry two guards in the “tiny but mighty” archetype. If the point guard position is totally barren, though, he can probably be what Florida needs: competent.
Florida basketball point guard Tyree Appleby told CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein that he plans to use his fifth year.
CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein reported that Florida basketball point guard [autotag]Tyree Appleby[/autotag] plans to use his fifth year of eligibility but isn’t sure where he will play next season.
Appleby transferred to the Gators and former coach [autotag]Mike White[/autotag] after spending the first part of his career playing for Cleveland State. In the past two seasons with the Orange and Blue, the Jacksonville, Arkansas, native averaged 11.1 points, 3.5 assists and 1.4 steals per game.
He helped Florida secure two monumental wins this season like when Appleby drilled a game-winner versus Ohio State and dropped 26 points in an upset against Auburn.
New head coach Todd Golden should keep working to bring Appleby back to Florida next season because of the roster’s lack of depth and experience at the position. However, he will explore other options before making a final decision.
Appleby was a serviceable point guard for Florida last season but probably fits better as a combo guard. He failed to produce enough assists while struggling with turnovers.
If Appleby does indeed use his final year of eligibility elsewhere, expect Golden to head straight to the NCAA transfer portal to supplement his loss.
Appleby reaggravated a thigh bruise against Kentucky, and he didn’t practice on Sunday or Monday.
Florida is gearing up for what feels like a must-win contest on the road against Texas A&M on Tuesday night. Though this game is currently considered a Quadrant 1 matchup (that will almost certainly change with a UF win), the Gators can’t afford a loss to an Aggies team that has lost eight straight, even in College Station.
A key injury could complicate things, though. Starting point guard Tyree Appleby exited Saturday’s loss to Kentucky early in the first half after reaggravating a thigh bruise. He tried to return to start the second half but was pulled for good shortly after.
Coach Mike White updated his status on Monday, and the outlook isn’t particularly encouraging. Appleby apparently hasn’t practiced the last two days.
“I think there’s a chance (he plays). I don’t know for sure,” White said, per On3’s Zach Abolverdi. “He didn’t go yesterday or today. So, we’ll see. I’m sure (head basketball trainer) Duke (Werner) will evaluate him at shootaround (Tuesday).”
Appleby is averaging 10.4 points per game and is the team’s second-leading scorer and most reliable long-range shooter in the backcourt. He’s also the team’s leader in assists with 3.8 per game. In his absence, the team will likely turn to Brandon McKissic, who scored nine points in 26 minutes against the Wildcats.
White said that the team has to be prepared to play without Appleby.
“It’s next man up. There’s not another choice,” White said. “Confident in our guys’ abilities if we play with poise and mental toughness and make simple plays. But if we play rattled, we mentally have an excuse — Tyree’s not at full strength or Tyree may not play — we’re already a team that, we struggle with turnovers.
“We’ve gotten better throughout the year, and I think they are second in the country in turnover percentage. So they’re really active with their hands, quick. A fast team that swarms to the basketball. They just create havoc. They create turnovers. So whoever we’ve got out there, we’ve gotta handle the ball with poise and maturity.”
Florida is at a critical point in the season. It ranks No. 49 in the NET, and it is currently considered to be among the “First Four Out” for the NCAA Tournament by ESPN’s Joe Lunardi. This team desperately needs to win a road game against TAMU, or else it’s going to have a real upward battle to make the tournament.
And it seems the Gators may have to do so without one of their best players.
Appleby reaggravated a thigh bruise on Saturday, and his status for the next game against Texas A&M is to be determined.
The injury bug has hit Florida hard this season. It lost star center Colin Castleton for six games with a shoulder injury during the month of January, and his replacement in Jason Jitoboh is now out for the season after suffering an eye injury requiring surgery in the road loss to Tennessee.
The Gators now have another injury to a key player, as starting point guard Tyree Appleby exited the game against Kentucky on Saturday less than seven minutes in after colliding with Sahvir Wheeler. He reaggravated a thigh bruise on the play and was ruled questionable to return.
Though he did briefly reenter the game to start the second half, he had to leave and didn’t return as he was held scoreless for the first time since his sophomore season at Cleveland State. After the game, coach Mike White updated his status moving forward.
“It was tough,” White said of losing Appleby, per On3’s Zach Abolverdi. “He reaggravated an injury that occurred in the not so distant past. In terms of what he said at halftime, Duke Werner deals with all of that. He just tells us at the end of the day who is available and how guys feel.
“He thought he could give it a go, but obviously, he wasn’t himself. You hate it for Ty. He’s really played well as of late, especially down the stretch in some of these wins that we’ve had.”
Castleton said the team struggled to retain its defensive intensity without Appleby on the floor.
“He’s one of the toughest dudes I’ve ever played with, so I already knew he was going to try and play. But he obviously couldn’t really go with his injury,” Castleton said. “I feel like we started getting good stops (after Appleby’s injury), but in the second half, we just completely fell apart and didn’t do everything we were supposed to.”
Florida is one game into a difficult four-game stretch that will likely determine its postseason fate. The next game — a road bout with Texas A&M — is likely squarely in the “must-win” category, and the Gators may have to do it without their most consistent backcourt player, as Appleby’s status for that one is to be determined.
[lawrence-related id=77523]
[listicle id=77458]
[listicle id=77471]
[vertical-gallery id=77450]
Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.
No, it wasn’t a dream. Tyree Appleby nailed a deep three Wednesday night as time expired to put Florida over Ohio State.
No, it wasn’t a dream. Florida guard Tyree Appleby nailed a deep three-pointer as time expired against Ohio State Wednesday night to complete a 10-point Gators comeback and win the Fort Myers Tip-Off tournament.
There are many takeaways from the victory, but the most obvious is that Appleby has ice in his veins. Head coach Mike White described his senior guard as a “gutsy guy” after the game and said that Appleby is the kind of player that will make that kind of high-pressure shot. Appleby was only 1-for-9 shooting on the day before he heaved the prayer up with no time left in regulation.
“It was like a movie,” Appleby said. “Once I hit the shot, I felt my teammates right there with me. Probably one of the best moments of my college career, really my life.”
The game-winner (and the basketball team’s play overall this season) gives Gator Nation something to be thankful for as a nightmare of a football season draws to a close. If you missed it, here are the best looks at “the shot” from Wednesday night.
Mike White did the hard work in the transfer portal over the offseason to bring together a team that has a real chance to outperform the 2020-21 squad. With Castleton back here’s our early projection of who will start for the Gators next season.
The Gators basketball team received fantastic news on Sunday afternoon. Center Colin Castleton announced that he has withdrawn from consideration in the 2021 NBA draft and will return to the school for another season. He emerged from the transfer portal to become a big part of Florida’s identity last season, but many of the other centerpieces of last year’s squad will be missing.
Tre Mann, who was the team’s best player, entered the NBA draft and will not be returning. Noah Locke, who was a deadly catch-and-shoot weapon, transferred to Louisville. The Keyontae Johnson/Scottie Lewis duo is broken up as well; Lewis went pro and Johnson may not play basketball competitively again.
Head coach Mike White did the hard work in the transfer portal over the offseason to bring together a team that has a real chance to outperform the 2020-21 squad. Now that Castleton’s back, we’re ready to make an early projection at who will take the floor next season as Gators starters.
The Gators have done well for themselves in the transfer portal, but they still need to figure out how to manage their guard rotation.
Florida Gators head coach Mike White was in an unenviable position when the team’s lengthy offseason process began. Given the hand he was dealt, it’s hard to argue that he could have done much better in the time that has elapsed.
In short order, has snagged commitments from players with nearly unimpeachable playing resumés from weaker conferences, which is exactly the kind of player he thrives on recruiting from the portal. The Gators’ roster – which had been depleted both of its depth and of the star power brought by Tre Mann – looks much more seaworthy now than it did three weeks ago.
That’s not to say everything is peachy in Gainesville. Once Florida addressed their need to reestablish a corps of shooting guards, the largest issue on their platter was the lack of a real backup point guard. That problem still remains with the roster in its current iteration, and there are no clear answers in sight.
Tyree Appleby has the starting job firmly in hand, and there’s no problem with that. He’s an explosive player who is tough to control in the paint and can shoot adequately from three-point land. Because he’s so small, though, he gets beat up when the Gators lean on him too heavily and he cannot realistically be relied on for 35 minutes every night.
Among the players who Florida is bringing into the system, there isn’t a primary ball handler in sight. Myreon Jones was forced to play the point at Penn State, but he and fellow transfer Brandon McKissic are both better off as a secondary handler than the primary creator on offense. The other incoming guards, Kowacie Reeves, Jr. and Phlandrous Fleming, Jr. are both big-bodied and strong and there is a definite reason to believe they will be contributors. However, they, too, are not cut out for a role as a facilitator.
What about players the Gators already have in-house? To be frank, we don’t know much about Jack May or Alex Klatsky, and there’s a chance that one surprises behind closed doors. Niels Lane seems like a much more likely candidate and could earn minutes on the merit of his ability to defend three positions. However, none carry the billing of a potential lead guard.
[lawrence-related id=39328,40850]
With a single vacancy open on the roster, there’s still a chance for White to bring in an outside player as the solution. No such luck there, though. Players Florida has been connected to continue to fall into a similar mold of the ones already in the system. For example, Alfonso Plummer is an efficient scorer, but he’s never been tested as a point guard at Utah and Rocket Watts’ struggles at Michigan State were often blamed on his being forced to learn how to play the point on the fly.
All this is to say the Gators have done well for themselves so far this offseason, but there are still questions about how this roster will function when the rubber meets the road. Few present concerns are greater than figuring out who will lead the second team on offense. As things stand now, that answer is about as clear as mud.
