SEATTLE – Ryan Appleby is coming home.
The former star guard from Stanwood High School said Tuesday that he will accept a scholarship offer from University of Washington men’s basketball coach Lorenzo Romar and will be a Husky starting next season.
“I’m very excited about this,” said Appleby, who decided last week to transfer from the University of Florida after his freshman season. “I’m looking forward to playing in front of friends and family. That’s going to be exciting for me.”
Under NCAA rules, Romar cannot comment until after he has Appleby’s signed letter-of-intent in his office. Appleby said he would sign the letter-of-intent at the beginning of the late-signing period, next Wednesday. The late-signing date ends May 19.
Under NCAA transfer regulations, Appleby, 20, must sit out the 2004-05 season. Afterward, he can play for the Huskies during the 2005-06 season as a sophomore and have three years of eligibility.
Appleby could step right in at point guard for Washington. Current point guard Will Conroy will have completed his senior year with the Huskies at the end of next season. Appleby said he sees his game as a perfect complement to Washington’s style of play.
“I saw the way they play,” he said. “They like to run the ball. Their program is on the rise. I thought it would be a good fit for me.”
Appleby signed with Florida at the end of his junior year at Stanwood, with visions of leading the Gators’ high-energy offense. He became discouraged because of his lack of playing time and noticed the team didn’t run as often and as effectively as it had in previous years.
Appleby, playing an average of eight minutes a game, averaged a point a game and had an assist-to-turnover ratio of 27-22.
At the end of the season, after the Gators lost to Manhattan in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Appleby asked Florida coach Billy Donovan to release him from his scholarship for the purpose of transferring.
Donovan obliged.
In high school, Appleby was recruited by Washington, Gonzaga, Missouri, North Carolina State, California, Stanford and New Mexico, but he said Washington was the only contender this time around.
“I didn’t want to open up the whole recruiting thing again,” he said. “That was crazy. The UW just seemed like a really good fit for me, so I just decided to go there.”
Romar, Appleby said, was a major reason in his decision to come to Washington. Romar recruited Appleby heavily at Stanwood.
“Back in the recruiting process in high school, I probably got along with him the best,” Appleby said. “We clicked. I like him. He’s a good coach.”
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