Florida basketball: Gators get key transfer back from injury ahead of season

Florida basketball has a lot of new faces coming into the program via the transfer portal, and a lot of those guys will crack the starting lineup.

One guy who came in under the radar however brought Florida some good news yesterday, as it was announced that he is medically clear for full contact and will be available early on in the Gators’ season.

San Francisco transfer Julian Rishwain is reuniting with his old coach in Gainesville, and will now be able to ramp up his activity ahead of their first games.

Rishwain won’t be a guy who can give the Gators 20 a night, but his presence will be felt once he steps on the floor.

Florida basketball: Fill in a gap

The Gators have been searching for a sharpshooter that they can station on the perimeter and rely on to make a big shot.

They’ve had guys who can shoot in the past few years, but there has been a lot of inconsistency from deep.

Rishwain came over to try and fix that. In 2021 at San Francisco, he was a 43% three-point shooter. His ability to line ’em up and knock ’em down is what made Golden want to bring him down to Gainesville, and why he’ll be such a big addition to Florida’s rotation.

Florida’s offense over the past few seasons has been stagnant, slow, and boring to watch. That can mainly be attributed to the fact that they haven’t had a threat outside who can spread the defense.

Golden hand-picked the guards he grabbed in the portal this year, Walter Clayton Jr. and Zyon Pullin. He trusts them to run an efficient offense regardless of who’s on the floor.

With Julian out wide and in the back of the defense’s head, it’ll make the Gators even harder to guard.

Hopefully, Rishwain can tap into his 2021 form and be a sniper for Florida. He could be the piece that helps the team take their next step.