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LAWRENCE,
Kan. - University of Kansas men’s basketball coach Bill Self announced
Wednesday that standout guard Tyrone Appleton (6-3, 195) from Midland
(Texas) College has signed a national letter of intent to play at KU
next season.
A
native of Gary, Ind. (Harmony Prep), Appleton averaged 13.2 points (46
percent shooting), 5.2 assists and 1.7 steals per game last season for
28-4 Midland. Appleton led the Western Junior College Athletic
Conference in scoring, assists and steals as he was named MVP of the
league. He was also named second team NJCAA All-American in 2007-08.
“Tyrone is a do-everything guard,” Self said. “He’s a good shooter. He’s
a good handler. He can play the one (guard) or the two (guard). He will
fit in well with the way we play with our interchangeable parts on the
perimeter.”
“Tyrone has won big at the junior college level and certainly has
sacrificed individual stats for the betterment of his team,” Self said.
“We were sold on Tyrone when we first came in contact with him. He’s
going to be a terrific addition to a young basketball team from a talent
standpoint but most importantly from a leadership standpoint.”
As a freshman in 2006-07, Appleton led Midland to the NJCAA national
title in which the Chaparrals went 29-8. He was second on the team with
14 points per game, including a team-best 16.4 points per game in league
play. He also averaged 3.2 assists and 1.9 steals for the Chaparrals.
Appleton played for coach Grant McCasland while at Midland.
“Having played for Coach McCasland – having won the national
championship his freshman year and they had a terrific team this year –
Tyrone has been well drilled and I am sure the transition will be smooth
with him coming into our system,” Self said. |