AM850.com

As AM 850 sports first reported this morning, junior forward Alex Tyus will transfer away from the University of Florida men's basketball team.

Sources have told AM 850 sports that Tyus wants to transfer to a program where he can play the small forward spot where he could develop a face the basket and jump shooting type of game where he feels he has the best shot of playing at the next level. Tyus was projected to be a four player for the Gators next year as a starter after spending this past season having to play the post position as a starter.

Tyus did a very nice job this past season improving his game and developing a nice jump shot away from the basket but he also learned some post moves as well to compensate for his lack of height in the post.

Tyus started all 36 games for the Gators this past season and averaged 12.5 points and 6.2 rebounds a game while shooting nearly 60 percent from the floor.

Florida has now lost two players to transfers from last year's team as sophomore Allan Chaney also left the program. Junior guard Nick Calathes could also leave school early if he decides to enter the NBA Draft permanently; he has entered the draft but has not hired an agent meaning he could return to school.

Gator head coach Billy Donovan confirmed this morning that Tyus was leaving and said that he and Tyus parted on good terms and that Tyus needed to "step back" and evaluate what his next step would be in his career.

Donovan is hitting the recruiting trail hard and also indicated he could have an assistant coach on board to replace Shaka Smart in the "next 24 to 48 hours." Smart took the job as the head coach at Virginia Commonwealth University after Anthony Grant left for the Alabama job.

Florida is now two scholarships under the limit for next season and head coach Billy Donovan and his staff will hit the recruiting trail hard now to try to find replacements for the departed players.