Tennessee has already added two transfers to their roster in men’s basketball this offseason. Now with another scholarship spot looking like it’s about to open up, UT’s coaches have reached out to another transfer option.
According to Evan Daniels of 247Sports, Tennessee is one of several schools to contact Cleveland State transfer guard Tyree Appleby. The Vols are one of three SEC schools to reach out to the rising junior, and a handful of other programs have also contacted him.
Cleveland State transfer Tyree Appleby has heard from Iowa State, Arkansas, Tennessee, Tulane, Texas Tech, Eastern Illinois & Florida. Averaged 17.2 PPG this past season.
— Evan Daniels (@EvanDaniels) July 1, 2019
The 6-foot-1, 165-pound point guard averaged 17.2 points, 5.6 assists, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.4 steals a game while shooting 42.0 percent overall and 38.9 percent from three as a sophomore for Cleveland State last season. He led the Vikings in scoring, assists, and steals in his 29 starts on the year.
Appleby became the first player in Cleveland State history to record a triple-double when he totaled 19 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists in the Vikings’ 78-68 win over Milwaukee. He also had three double-doubles on the season.
For his efforts, Appleby was named to the Second Team All-Horizon League team and led the entire conference in assists per game.
As a freshman, Appleby was named to the Horizon League All-Freshman team after averaging 11.8 points, 4.0 assists, 2.4 rebounds, and 1.3 steals in 34 games, including 25 starts.
According to Daniels, Appleby is working on scheduling visits to both Arkansas and Florida right now. It’s believed that Appleby will have to sit out the upcoming 2019-20 season wherever he transfers, but he’ll have two years of eligibility remaining after that.
Cleveland State transfer Tyree Appleby has heard from Iowa State, Arkansas, Tennessee, Tulane, Texas Tech, Eastern Illinois & Florida. Averaged 17.2 PPG this past season.
— Evan Daniels (@EvanDaniels) July 1, 2019
Tennessee was full on scholarships for the 2019-20 season up until Monday afternoon when it was reported that redshirt freshman forward DJ Burns had put his name in the NCAA transfer portal. Burns can still remove his name from the portal and return to UT, but it’s likely that he’ll end up on another roster for next season.
The Vols will be very inexperienced in the backcourt in the 2020-21 season, and Tennessee’s coaches have already added one transfer to try and bolster that issue. Oregon guard Victor Bailey Jr. officially transferred to UT this offseason, and he’ll sit out the upcoming season and will be eligible to play in 2020-21. He played for two seasons with the Ducks before electing to transfer.
