Julian Rishwain's best season at USF was the 2021-22 campaign when Todd Golden guided the Dons to their first NCAA Tournament berth in 24 years.
Harry Fodder: How Julian Rishwain Fits In
Friday, June 9, 2023 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Fifth-year transfer Julian Rishwain committed to Florida sight unseen, but the Gators are very familiar with their latest acquisition.
Rishwain, a 6-foot-5, 190-pound shooting guard, played two seasons for Todd Golden at the University of San Francisco and was the Dons' sixth man — and one of their most reliable 3-point shooters — during a 24-10 campaign in 2021-22 that ended with the program's first NCAA Tournament berth in 24 years. Rishwain, however, took a step backward during his '22-23 senior year under a new head coach, capped by a season-ending knee injury suffered in January.
Florida will represent a new start for Rishwain. When he'll be cleared to take the court will depend on the recovery process from surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament. When that happens, UF will have a player well-versed in the Golden system and completely comfortable with the role he has played in it before.
A prep star in Los Angeles at Sherman Oaks (Calif.) Notre Dame High, Rishwain was an All-Area selection by the LA Daily News and McDonald's All-America nominee who originally signed with Boston College. He played at BC just one season before transferring cross country to USF in 2020 after the outbreak of the COVID pandemic.
His four-year career numbers show 6.1 points and 2.6 rebounds per game, while shooting 43.3 percent from the floor and 35.6 from the 3-point line. That latter number includes this past injury-shortened season when Rishwain logged just 20 games and struggled from the floor in making just 26.9 percent overall and 25.8 from deep.
Golden and the Gators are banking on the UF version of Rishwain — when healthy, be it this season or next — to play like the USF version of Rishwain in '21-22. Who was that guy?
Think Joey Calcaterra of Connecticut last season.
Think of an off-the-bench guy who runs off screens, sprints to open spaces in transition and comes into the game with his 3-point trigger cocked, ready to fire, while making defenses account for his whereabouts at all times. Opponents also will have to honor his understated ability to use his height and ball-handling to get his own shot in the halfcourt.
Two years ago, Rishwain averaged career highs of 7.4 points, 46.3 percent from the floor and 43.0 from the 3-point line over 19.2 minutes per game, with 11 double-figure scoring games, including season-high outings of 20 points against Pepperdine during the regular season and again against Gonzaga in the West Coast Conference Tournament.
That's the guy the Gators want. Even if they have to wait to get him.
IN CASE YOU MISSED ... Get to know the new guys
* Harry Fodder: How EJ Jarvis Fits In
* Harry Fodder: How Micah Handlogten Fits in
* Harry Fodder: How Walter Clayton Jr. Fits In
* Harry Fodder: How Alex Condon Fits In
* Harry Fodder: How Tyrese Samuel Fits In
* Harry Fodder: How Zyon Pullin Fits In
Rishwain, a 6-foot-5, 190-pound shooting guard, played two seasons for Todd Golden at the University of San Francisco and was the Dons' sixth man — and one of their most reliable 3-point shooters — during a 24-10 campaign in 2021-22 that ended with the program's first NCAA Tournament berth in 24 years. Rishwain, however, took a step backward during his '22-23 senior year under a new head coach, capped by a season-ending knee injury suffered in January. Florida will represent a new start for Rishwain. When he'll be cleared to take the court will depend on the recovery process from surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament. When that happens, UF will have a player well-versed in the Golden system and completely comfortable with the role he has played in it before.
A prep star in Los Angeles at Sherman Oaks (Calif.) Notre Dame High, Rishwain was an All-Area selection by the LA Daily News and McDonald's All-America nominee who originally signed with Boston College. He played at BC just one season before transferring cross country to USF in 2020 after the outbreak of the COVID pandemic.
His four-year career numbers show 6.1 points and 2.6 rebounds per game, while shooting 43.3 percent from the floor and 35.6 from the 3-point line. That latter number includes this past injury-shortened season when Rishwain logged just 20 games and struggled from the floor in making just 26.9 percent overall and 25.8 from deep.
Golden and the Gators are banking on the UF version of Rishwain — when healthy, be it this season or next — to play like the USF version of Rishwain in '21-22. Who was that guy?
Think Joey Calcaterra of Connecticut last season.
Junior Year Highlights 🤩 https://t.co/IPrGT6Df1E
— Julian Rishwain (@julian_rishwain) June 14, 2022
Think of an off-the-bench guy who runs off screens, sprints to open spaces in transition and comes into the game with his 3-point trigger cocked, ready to fire, while making defenses account for his whereabouts at all times. Opponents also will have to honor his understated ability to use his height and ball-handling to get his own shot in the halfcourt.
Two years ago, Rishwain averaged career highs of 7.4 points, 46.3 percent from the floor and 43.0 from the 3-point line over 19.2 minutes per game, with 11 double-figure scoring games, including season-high outings of 20 points against Pepperdine during the regular season and again against Gonzaga in the West Coast Conference Tournament.
That's the guy the Gators want. Even if they have to wait to get him.
IN CASE YOU MISSED ... Get to know the new guys
* Harry Fodder: How EJ Jarvis Fits In
* Harry Fodder: How Micah Handlogten Fits in
* Harry Fodder: How Walter Clayton Jr. Fits In
* Harry Fodder: How Alex Condon Fits In
* Harry Fodder: How Tyrese Samuel Fits In
* Harry Fodder: How Zyon Pullin Fits In
Florida Men's Basketball | Head Coach Todd Golden Postgame Press Conference | Duke
Wednesday, December 03
Todd Golden Post-Game Press Conference 12-2-25
Tuesday, December 02
Florida Men's Basketball | Head Coach Todd Golden Media Availability
Tuesday, December 02
Florida Men's Basketball | Urban Klavzar Media Availability
Tuesday, December 02
