Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – For Julian Rishwain, his darkest moment came in May, some four months into a grueling rehab from reconstructive knee surgery. He knew he wanted to take advantage of that bonus COVID fifth college basketball season, but Rishwain wasn't sure if his heart was in sticking it out at the University of San Francisco. Instead, he decided to see what a dip into the transfer portal might bring. 
 
What it brought was a call from Todd Golden, the coach who originally lured him to USF and for whom he'd thrived for two sharp-shooting seasons. 
 
"It was like a fire had been re-lit," Rishwain said. "The dude still believed in me." 
 

In June, the Gators signed Rishwain, wounded knee and all, took over his rehab and laid out a recovery plan and timeline that, as it turned out, is ahead of schedule. The 6-foot-5, 200-pound wing met with team health staff Tuesday afternoon and was cleared for full-contact work, and with it a chance to carve out a role in the rotation as a sniper off the bench. 
 
UF opens the 2023-24 season Nov. 6 at home against Loyola Maryland, though Rishwain may need a couple more weeks to knock the rust off before he's ready for real game action. That's just fine with all parties involved.
 
"We're excited for Julian to get into 5-on-5 full court," Golden said. "We know how hard he's been working and the progress he's made since he got here. He's done a very good job with what he's been allowed to do, so far. He's going to give us a really good and needed additional shooter; someone who can really space the floor. It's not always going to be easy to put the ball in the basket, but he's a guy who can come in and bang a couple 3s and hopefully get us going."
 
Rishwain was a prep standout and McDonald's All-America nominee at Sherman Oaks (Calif.) Notre Dame Prep. He originally signed with Boston College, but left there after a 2019-20 freshman year cut short by the pandemic. He transferred to San Francisco, where for two seasons under Golden he averaged 7.6 points over 19 minutes a game and was an outstanding 3-point banger at 40.4 percent on 218 attempts, with 55 makes at 43 percent during a junior season that ended with the program's first NCAA Tournament berth in 24 years. Rishwain also averaged 3.0 rebounds a game and made 82.0 percent from the free-throw line.

Golden left USF after the '21-22 season to take the Florida job made vacant when Mike White left for Georgia. Rishwain, meanwhile, struggled with the transition to a new Dons coach and system, with his numbers slipping, including his 3-point percentage that dipped to 24.3 percent.
 
The season went completely south with the non-contact injury Jan. 12 at Portland – "I planted to make a cut and my knee just gave out," he said – but now Rishwain has a chance at a fresh start with a coach under whom his game has thrived. 
 
"Coach Golden knows what I can do," he said. "That's why I'm here." Rishwain has been doing non-contact work for a couple weeks. He accompanied the team to Coral Gables last weekend, but did not play for the Gators' in their closed scrimmage at 2023 Final Four participant Miami, and likely will sit out when UF hosts Florida International in its second closed scrimmage Saturday. He'll still have time to get in the mix, however. 

Just where and how much Rishwain fits into a rotation already armed with five established perimeter players is something that will sort itself out. But when Yale transfer forward E.J. Jarvis, the first player the team signed in the offseason, unexpectedly quit the team earlier this month some minutes became available on the wing, alongside junior Will Richard, the team's No. 2 scorer last season, and promising, bouncy freshman Thomas Haugh. 
 
Rishwain has a little more to his game than long-range shooting. He has a deceptive ability to get in the paint or to the baseline and can get a shot up over taller players with his high release point. As a junior, he had 11 double-digit scoring games, including a career-high of 20 points against both Pepperdine and Gonzaga. 
 
The game before his '22-23 season ended at Portland, Rishwain tallied a season-high 18 points on 7-for-12 shooting and 3-for-6 from the arc, six rebounds, two assists and two steals in a win at Loyola Marymount. 
 
Then came that dark place, followed by an orange and blue light at the end of the tunnel.
 
"It's all been very humbling, considering the head space I was in," Rishwain said. "I needed a change and now I'm at a big-time school like Florida and get a chance at a big-time college experience. Everything just got aligned for me again, you know? It's amazing. Sometimes things just happen for a reason."