Tyree Appleby has been a great player wherever he has been.
In two years at Cleveland State, the 6-foot-1 guard:
- shot at least 42% in both seasons
- scored 899 points
- dished out 297 assists
- improved scoring average from 11.8 points/gm (1st year), to 17.2 points/gm (2nd year)
He then transferred to Florida, and after sitting out the 2019-20 season, he started 44 games in a Gator uniform over the next two seasons, scoring over 650 points and adding over 200 assists. He averaged 11.3 and 10.9 points per game, respectively, while continuing to shoot it at a high clip: 41% and 36% in his two years in Gainesville.
It should come as no surprise that he is once again shining in his first year at Wake Forest. But it feels like Appleby hasn’t received enough attention.
The Jacksonville native is playing at an All-ACC level. An elite level. He has started all 16 games, and the Deacs are off to an 11-5 (3-2 ACC) start.
Appleby is averaging career-high numbers in the following stats: min/gm (34.4), FG/gm (5.3), FG% (49%), 3FG% (46%), APG (5.8), and PPG (17.9).
He ranks third in the ACC in points per game, seventh in field goal percentage (second among guards), second in assists per game, fifth in free-throw percentage, and first in three-point percentage (although several players have hit more threes than his 32). Appleby is having a special season.
He has eight games this year with at least 18 points, including a season-best 32-point effort in a dominant performance at Wisconsin. In that win, Appleby hit 11 of his 16 shots (69%), including four of his six three-point tries (66%). He hit all six of his free throws, grabbed four rebounds and dished out five assists. An elite showing at the highest level of college hoops.
Steve Forbes has found another gem in the transfer portal, and Appleby is proving that he belongs with the best of the best in college hoops.
