NCAA Basketball: Delaware transfer Ithiel Horton choosing between 2 schools

NCAA Basketball transfer Ithiel Horton has gotten an up-and-close look at Pitt and Arkansas basketball programs the past couple of days.

Former Delaware Blue Hen guard Ithiel Horton took an unofficial visit to Pitt on Sunday and then made the trek down to Arkansas to visit the Razorbacks on Monday. Horton informed Delaware coach Martin Ingelsby that he would be leaving the NCAA Basketball program on June 27.

Apparently, things went well on the visits for the 6-3 sophomore as he told Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports (on July 1) that he will end up at Pitt or Arkansas. Thus, meaning that Virginia Tech is no longer being considered.

Horton had a solid first season with the Blue Hens, averaging 13.2 points along with 3.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists while shooting 40.9% from beyond the arc. He scored in double figures in 22 of 33 games, topping the 20-point mark seven times including in each of the final three contests of the campaign. However, the New Jersey native also finished with two or fewer points on six occasions.

Horton will have to sit out the upcoming season. It is unclear whether Pitt or Arkansas currently has the edge in obtaining his services although the Razorbacks do not have a scholarship available for the upcoming season unless some leaves the program. So, my prediction is that Pitt will eventually land him.

If Horton does choose Pitt, he is expected to fill the current role held by Xavier Johnson. Johnson, who had a solid freshman campaign himself, is expected to test the NBA waters following the season. The 6-3 Arlington, Va. native led the Panthers in scoring (15.5 points) and assists (4.0) last season. Pitt still has two scholarships available for the upcoming campaign and if they don’t use both, the Panthers could have at least three slots available in 2020-21 as Kene Chuckwuka and Eric Hamilton will have exhausted their eligibility.

Let’s not discount Arkansas completely, however. The Razorbacks could use another quality guard next year. So, there is a chance that he will choose Arkansas.

Horton is not the only player on the Razorbacks’ radar. Coach Eric Musselman hosted 2020 shooting guard Moses Moody on Sunday for an unofficial visit. Additionally, the Hogs have offered 2022 shooting guard Nick Smith Jr., (Sherwood, Ark.) 2020 four-star power forward Dawson Garcia (Prior Lake, MN.) and 2021 shooting guard Jalen Hicks (Sherwood, Ark.) recently.

Tyree Appleby hears from a number of schools

Cleveland State transfer Tyree Appleby has heard from Iowa State, Arkansas, Tennessee, Tulane, Texas Tech, Eastern Illinois and Florida per 247Sports Evan Daniels.

Appleby can do a little bit of everything but what he does best is put the ball through the hoop. The 6-1 point guard showed tremendous improvement in his game in year two following a decent freshman campaign. He averaged 17.2 points, 5.6 assists, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.6 triples while shooting 42% from the field and 38.9% from long distance last season to earn second-team All-Horizon honors.

Appleby scored in double-figures in 22 of 29 appearances while topping the 20-point mark 11 times and reaching 30 on two occasions. He poured in a career-high 37 points against Bowling Green on Dec. 5.

The Jacksonville (Ark.) native is more than a scorer although he can score from nearly anywhere on the court. He is super quick and gets to the hoop a great deal and is very good in transition. Appleby is an excellent distributor and can be a pest on the defensive end though turnovers are a problem. Appleby produced two double-doubles along with a triple-double last year.

Florida doesn’t have a scholarship available to give out this year, but the Gators seem to be really interested in Appleby. UF does have a logjam up front and there could be some shakeup there, according to Eric Fawcett of Gator Country.

Appleby is currently in Fayetteville (Ark.) for a visit (Tues. and Wed.) with the Razorbacks. He also said he plans to set up a visit with the Gators.

Other recruiting tidbits:

• Pitt offered 2020 forward Osasere Ighodaro (Phoenix) a scholarship on June 30 and 2022 Jalen Hood-Schifino (Charlotte, NC) on July 2.  Ighodaro, a 6-9 combo forward that is rated as a top-100 prospect by 247Sports, holds 25 offers with 11 coming from power-7 programs. Stanford and Vanderbilt seem to be currently leading the way for Ighodaro’s services. Hood-Schifino, who is a Pittsburgh native, is rated as a five-star prospect and ranked as the 23rd best recruit in the nation by ESPN. He also received an offer from Clemson on July 2 and currently holds six offers with Florida and South Florida being the only non-ACC teams.
• Boston University grad transfer Tyler Scanlon will play at Belmont next season. He chose Belmont over Wisconsin and George Washington.
• 2020 6-7 small forward Tochukwu ‘Toby’ Okani (West Orange, NJ) picked up an offer from Hofstra on July 2. It is the fourth offer that he has received over the last few days as Okani nabbed overtures from UMass, Mount Saint Mary’s and Minnesota on June 29. He holds seven offers overall.

• Jabri Abdur-Rahim took an official visit to Virginia over the past weekend. Virginia along with UConn, Michigan, Notre Dame, and Louisville are prioritzing the 6-7 wing.
• Providence transfer Makai Ashton-Langford committed to Boston College on July 2. The 6-3 Worcester (Mass.) native averaged 3.7 points and 2.3 assists in a reserve role for the Friars. He will have to sit out the upcoming season and have two seasons of eligibility left.