Gators Add San Francisco Transfer Julian Rishwain

Todd Golden is bringing reinforcements from his previous stop to Gainesville.

After landing the services of former UC Riverside guard Zyon Pullin Wednesday, securing a starter at the point guard spot in doing so, the Gators held two more scholarship openings to fill before completing the 2023-24 roster.

On Friday, San Francisco guard transfer Julian Rishwain filled one of the two remaining voids as he pledged himself to Florida and his former Dons' head coach, Golden.

He put pen to paper shortly after the announcement, making the move official.

Last Dance 💙🐊🧡 pic.twitter.com/ftvXwr9sqA
— Julian Rishwain (@julian_rishwain) June 9, 2023

A three-year contributor for the Dons during his collegiate career, transferring to USF following his freshman year at Boston College, the 6-foot-5, 190-pound guard appeared in 77 games where he compiled 6.8 points on 39.7% from the floor and 36.3% from three, 2.8 rebounds, 0.6 assists and 0.7 steals per game.

While he possesses the length and functional athleticism to be a presence on the boards on the defensive end, his primary role when he arrives at UF will come as a shooter.

Showcasing the consistent ability to knock down shots from all three levels of the court, namely from distance, in his first two seasons at San Francisco, Rishwain highlighted the upward trend of the Dons' program under Golden before Florida plucked him away in March 2022.

He struggled in his lone season without Golden as his coach in 2022-23, regressing significantly to post career-low shooting percentages in 20 appearances. His year ended prematurely as he suffered a torn ACL, MCL and PCL in his right knee, according to Rocco Miller. He finished his fourth season just 26.9% from the floor and 24.3% from beyond the arc.

However, despite the less-than-ideal numbers from his most recent sample size as he transfers to a Power Six conference, the Los Angeles native hopes his realignment with the head coach who aided him to see his best season in 2021-22 can pay dividends for both parties.

Knocking down over 40% of his shots from the field and from beyond the arc as a complementary scorer to Jamaree Bouyea and Khalil Shabazz in the backcourt, Rishwain served as a productive asset off the bench in the Don's first NCAA Tournament berth since 1998.

He hit on 55 three-pointers during the campaign, resulting in Golden's decision to bring him to Gainesville as the needed sharpshooter from three that has avoided the program in recent memory.

Rishwain is expected to be an off-ball guard in rotation for the Gators during the 2023-24 season.

His addition brings Florida up to 12 scholarship players. One spot remains vacant heading into the team's summer practice regimen.

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