Two UF men’s basketball players’ names are in the NCAA transfer portal.
Following a season in which an ACL tear in January limited him to just 17 games, forward Keith Stone will transfer after being with the program for four years, as confirmed by UF on Tuesday.
Shortly after reports of Stone’s transfer, sophomore guard Mike Okauru announced via Twitter his intention to leave the program as well.
Stone, a redshirt junior, was a four-star prospect out of Zion Lutheran Christian School in Deerfield Beach, Florida, and he was a part of former Florida coach Billy Donovan’s final recruiting class in 2015.
Stone redshirted during the 2015-16 season, and his redshirt-freshman campaign saw him average 3.6 points and 2.2 rebounds in 34 appearances off the bench.
He started 26 games as a redshirt sophomore, averaging 8.8 points and 4.3 rebounds per game.
Before suffering the season-ending ACL injury against Georgia on Jan. 19, he averaged 6.1 points per game and 3.9 rebounds.
Stone is set to graduate from UF in the spring, and he will be eligible to play immediately next season as a graduate transfer.
“Keith has been a part of three NCAA Tournament teams and a lot of wins,” coach Mike White said in a release. “He has represented the Florida program the right way, and we wish him nothing but the best.”
Okauru, a Raleigh, North Carolina, native, was a three-star recruit (according to the 247Sport composite) out of the Brewster Academy.
The 6-foot-3, 184-pound guard averaged just 1.4 points and 6.6 minutes in 35 appearances this season after averaging 11.1 minutes and 3.8 points during his freshman campaign.
With forward Chase Johnson’s transfer from Florida in December, Stone and Okauru’s departures leave the Gators with three open scholarships ahead of the 2019-20 season.
Florida will have two McDonald's All-Americans on its roster next season in five-star forward Scottie Lewis, out of Eatontown, New Jersey, and five-star guard Tre Mann from The Villages, Florida.
Follow Alanis Thames on Twitter @alanisthames and contact her at athames@alligator.org.
UF forward Keith Stone tore the ACL in his left knee against Georgia on Jan. 19.
