High-profile Belmont transfer Will Richard goes in depth with why he chose Florida
by Bob Redman, aka “Hollywood Bob”
Will Richard became the first pickup on the recruiting trail for Florida Gators basketball head coach Todd Golden this week. Richard, a 6-foot-5, 195 pound shooting guard from Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, was one of the most coveted players in the transfer portal this offseason after finishing his freshman year averaging 12.1 points, 6.0 rebounds, and shooting the ball from behind the arc at a 32.6-percent clip. Richard visited Gainesville last week and decided it was the place to continue his college basketball career.
With Golden coming into his first year as the skipper of the Gators, the roster has been shredded by players that were done with eligibility and a few transfers. The new Gators head coach got good news this past week when big man Colin Castleton decided he would return. Castleton was a second-team All-SEC selection last season.
With the loss of the top four guards in terms of playing time from a year ago, Florida has to fill huge voids there and getting Richard to commit and sign already answers the call. Richard didn’t hesitate after visiting to go ahead and make up his mind that Gainesville is where he needed to be.
“I just felt that Florida was the perfect place for me to be,” he said. “I talked to Coach Golden almost every day since entering the portal and I got to build a great relationship with him and the staff. I also wanted to be able to get developed for the next level and Coach Golden’s vision for me matched exactly with what I wanted in playing style and a program in general. Then when I took the visit to Florida it just felt like home so I knew it was time.”
“They just had everything that I was looking for and just walking around campus I had that gut feeling that Florida was where I wanted to be.”
Golden and his staff were able to project the ability to prepare Richard to play at the next level and fulfill his NBA dreams. That meant letting him know what it’s going to take to get him there.
“Getting a lot better off ball screens and being able to make different reads,” he said. “Becoming a stronger and more explosive athlete. Being better in catch and shoot situations and being able to read things before they happen on the defensive end.”
With that said, Richard thinks that he bring a lot to the table as well and wanted to let Gator fans know what to expect out of him.
“Just a pure competitor, someone who can score from all three levels, make plays on the defensive end, rebound, and get others involved,” he said. “I feel that I’m a very versatile player that does a lot of things that result in wins.”
Richard is the first of what is expected to be a handful of signees through the transfer portal. While Richard is already signed at this writing, LSU forward Alex Fudge has also committed to Florida and is expected to sign this week.