Xavier Musketeers basketball adds Drake transfer Braden Appelhans
Appelhans, a 6-foot-6 guard who spent three seasons with Richard Pitino at New Mexico, has committed to Xavier.
After a busy April that saw Xavier men's basketball add six players via the NCAA's transfer portal, the Musketeers have landed their first portal commitment of May According to Pete Nakos of On3 Sports , Drake transfer Braden Appelhans is headed to Xavier. Xavier, which has built one of the nation's top transfer portal hauls over the last month, adds backcourt depth with the addition of Appelhans, who has one year of eligibility remaining. More: Where Xavier Musketeers basketball roster stands heading into May More: Xavier men's golf wins Big East title behind Cayse Morgan's solo crown More: Xavier Hall-of-Famer Nikki Drew returns as Lakota East girls basketball coach It's another familiar face for head coach Richard Pitino, who coached Appelhans for three seasons at New Mexico.
The 6-foot-6 guard appeared in 57 games for the Lobos and averaged 2. 7 points while shooting 38. 3% from the field.
Appelhans was granted a medical redshirt after appearing in 10 games off the bench as a freshman during the 2022-23 season. He spent last season at Drake, where he made 27 appearances off the bench and averaged 5. 3 points per game.
Appelhans had a career-high 30 points in a 108-57 win over Western Illinois Dec. 2. The Bulldogs finished 14-20 overall.