Appleby Signs with UW

SEATTLE -- Ryan Appleby, a Stanwood, Wash. native who played last season at Florida, signed a letter of intent to attend the University of Washington, men¹s basketball coach Lorenzo Romar announced Wednesday.

The 6-foot-3, 165-pound transfer was among the nation¹s top-50 recruits in the high school class of 2003. He was listed as a consensus top-10 prep point guard by the recruiting services.

Appleby was a first-team all-state selection in 2003 after averaging 24.0 points and 9.0 assists during his senior season at Stanwood High School. He completed his prep career as Stanwood¹s all-time leader with 1,709 points and 763 assists.

Appleby signed with Florida in July of 2002. He played 23 games for the Gators during the 2003-04 season, starting the season opener against Montana State. Appleby registered his collegiate highs against MSU with six points and six assists. For the season, he averaged one point and had a 27-22 assist-turnover ratio. Appleby shot 36 percent from 3-point range and hit both of his trey attempts against Montana State.

He played five minutes and scored two points in Florida¹s first-round NCAA Tournament loss to Manhattan.

"Ryan is a good fit for what we want to do, get up and down the floor," remarked Romar who also recruited Appleby at Stanwood High School. "We liked Ryan out of high school. He really can push the ball up the floor, he can shoot it with range, he sees the floor well and can really pass the ball. He¹s a phenomenal worker."

On April 2, Florida granted Appleby¹s request to be released from his scholarship. That release will enable him to retain three years of eligibility after sitting out the 2004-05 season at Washington as a red-shirt.

Appleby is the second member of Washington¹s 2004 basketball recruiting class that will join the team in the fall. He joins Joel Smith, a 6-5, 190-pound swingman from Lompoc, Calif. who signed with the Huskies on Nov. 17. Smith played this season at Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, N.H.

Washington registered a 19-12 record in 2004 and participated in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in five years. The 12-6 record and second-place Pac-10 finish were the Huskies¹ best performances since 1986. The campaign was highlighted by a 75-62 upset of No. 1 Stanford and a sweep of three games over highly ranked Arizona. UW¹s stellar season ended with a 102-100 loss to UAB in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

---

2004 Washington Men¹s Basketball Letter of Intent Signees

Ryan Appleby, Guard, 6-3, 165, Stanwood, Wash. (Stanwood HS / Florida)
Joel Smith, Guard/Forward, 6-5, 190, Lompoc, Calif. (Brewster Academy, Wolfeboro, N.H. / Lompoc HS)