Florida men’s basketball coach Mike White received more clarity with his squad on Tuesday when guard Tre Mann announced that he was withdrawing from the 2020 NBA Draft and returning to Florida for his sophomore season.
The news was first reported by CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein. Reports had previously been circulating on May 30 that Mann had withdrawn from draft consideration, but he tweeted that the reports weren’t true.
The five-star recruit out of The Villages, Florida, came to Gainesville as the No. 20 player in the 2019 class. In his freshman season, Mann scored 5.3 points per game on 35.6 percent shooting, along with grabbing 1.9 boards a game. The Gators finished 19-12 (11-7 SEC) and were likely on their way to the NCAA Tournament before it was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Mann will join a guard lineup that includes fellow sophomore Ques Glover and Cleveland State transfer Tyree Appleby. This is despite Andrew Nembhard’s transfer to Gonzaga.
Mann returning, along with Nembhard’s departure, should allow Florida to play with a faster tempo. The Gators ranked 344th and 326th in adjusted tempo in Nembhard’s two seasons at the helm, according to KenPom.
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Noah is a third year journalism-sports and media student from Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. He has been with The Alligator since Spring 2019 and has covered men’s and women’s tennis, gymnastics and volleyball. When he isn’t on his beat, Noah is usually sadden over his beloved South Florida sports teams, such as the Heat and Dolphins.
