Former Florida Gators F/C Tuongthach Gatkek Transfers to Texas State

The destinations of former Florida Gators basketball players looking to find new homes are starting to fall into place.

The first domino for Gators moving out of the Florida program fell on Wednesday, with grad transfer guard Tyree Appleby announcing his commitment to Wake Forest.

On Thursday night, forward Tuongthach Gatkek became the next Gator to announce his transfer decision. The reserve big man under Mike White will continue his career at Texas State.

New Home📍 pic.twitter.com/9nCt5wHzdV
— Tuon Gatkek (@Tgatkek32) May 6, 2022

Gatkek, a late addition to the Gators roster before the 2021-22 season from JUCO, departed from the program soon after the arrival of new head coach Todd Golden in Gainesville.

Getting to showcase his skillset midseason when center Colin Castleton was sidelined with a shoulder injury and Jason Jitoboh went down with an eye injury that required season-ending surgery, Gatkek proved his worth on the interior.

Using his length to his advantage, the 6-foot-9, 172-pounder from Maine showed an intriguing prowess to alter shots and play bigger than his frame suggested. He played a significant role in Florida’s comeback win over Oklahoma State at home with eight points and three blocks in 22 minutes.

He was waned back out of the lineup when Castleton returned after a six-game absence despite the promise he showed. During the season as a whole, Gatkek averaged just 1.7 points on 48.3% from the field, 1.8 rebounds and 0.8 blocks in 7.7 minutes per contest in 21 appearances.

Ultimately, his ability to play bigger than initially expected was still overshadowed by his vastly undersized frame when clanging inside with opposing power six-level big men.

With Castleton and Jitoboh returning to the hardwood for Florida next season — and the well-known effort to bring in another big or two via the portal — Gatkek’s already limited minutes were set to shrink even more.

His transfer to Texas State puts him in a position to receive playing time early and often as a starter. He will have to continue to add muscle and weight as a whole over time, but can do so while receiving amicable in-game reps with the Bobcats.

Gatkek’s length and experience in the SEC will serve as an integral part of Texas State’s success in his three years of remaining eligibility.

If everything goes accordingly, he should pan out to be a dominant rim protector who can take advantage of transition scoring opportunities at the rim.

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