Will Richard Talks Florida Gators Transfer, Relationship With Todd Golden
On Saturday afternoon, the Florida Gators' new basketball coaching staff got some great news when transfer target and former Belmont wing Will Richard took to social media to announce his intentions to take his talents to Gainesville for his three remaining years of eligibility.
First and foremost, it’s never an easy decision to leave the program that recruited you out of high school, but Richard gave AllGators a little insight on why he decided to enter his name into the portal after an impressive freshman season with the Bruins.
“A lot of prayer and just discussion with my family, for sure," Richard said. "And just trying to find somewhere where I can have a good relationship with the coaching staff and be prepared for that next level. And just doing whatever I can to get to where I want to be.”
Once entering his name into the portal, Richard quickly became one of the most sought-after transfers on the market. About two weeks after making that decision, he ventured down to UF’s campus on April 7 to begin his official visit with the Gators.
Richard was able to tour the campus and meet with coach Todd Golden, and just one hour before getting on the plane to head back home, he decided he needn’t wait any longer.
“As soon as I decided to enter my name into the transfer portal, coach Golden hit me up the day of and I was talking to him almost every day leading up to my visit. I definitely built a good relationship with him, and I just had that connection,” Richard explained. “And then going to campus, taking the tour, looking at all the facilities, everything just felt like home, so it felt like the perfect place for me to be.”
During his visit, Richard was able to sit down with Golden to find out exactly what his vision was for how the guard fits into the new scheme that Golden and his staff will be implementing to try and turn things around in Gainesville.
“He told me he wants me playing the wing, he wants me to be able to get out in transition and put me in catch and shoot situations coming off ball screens and stuff like that. Also, just being an elite defender and an all-around player that will help them get wins.”
It’s well known that Golden is a very analytics-driven coach who does things a bit differently than many people might be accustomed to. Golden was able to go a little more in-depth with Richard about how analytics can both help the team succeed and get the talented wing where he wants to be.
“Of course, he knows a lot more than what I do about analytics," Richard admitted. "But he broke it down in the simplest way possible for me to understand why me being in their system would fit me perfectly and how it helps to not only achieve my goals but the team goals as well.”
Now that Richard no longer has to worry about taking visits and entertaining the plethora of programs that were vying for his services, he has slipped on his recruiting cap in hopes of enticing other top transfers to make the move to Gainesville with him. That includes two players that were on campus with him this weekend in Terry Roberts from Bradley University and Alex Fudge from LSU.
“I got to spend time with both of those guys, it went really good,” Richards said. “I’m trying to get Terry and Alex right now. I’ve actually been texting them ever since I left campus trying to see where their heads were and trying to get them to join the team so I’m definitely doing some recruiting.”
While those that follow the landscape of college basketball closely are very familiar with the skillset and type of player Richard is, he gave AllGators a small breakdown of the type of player Gator fans can expect when he finally steps on the court in the O’Connell Center.
“They’re getting a competitor, someone that does everything that results in wins," said Richard. "I can score from all three levels, get teammates involved, rebound, play defense, and get in passing lanes to get steals. I feel like I’m a very versatile player that can do a lot that helps the team get wins.”
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