Florida lands star transfer Egor Koulechov from Rice

By Adam Silverstein
April 18, 2017
Florida lands star transfer Egor Koulechov from Rice
Basketball

Image Credit: Rice

Exit Devin Robinson, enter Egor Koulechov.

Four days after Florida Gators basketball lost its best overall player, head coach Mike White landed the top available graduate transfer when Koulechov committed to play his final collegiate campaign with the Gators.

Koulechov (6-foot-5, 210 pounds), a native of Volgograd, Russia, grew up in Israel and played high school basketball in South Florida. He began his college career at Arizona State, where he averaged 3.7 points in 14.0 minutes per game before transferring to Rice and sitting out the 2014-15 season

Koulechov became the Owls’ best player over the last two campaigns, averaging 16.7 points and 7.0 rebounds as a redshirt sophomore while shooting 41.7 percent from the field and 34.2 percent from beyond the arc. He somehow managed to improve nearly his entire stat line this past season, posting averages of 18.2 points, 8.9 boards and 2.1 assist while standing out from beyond the arc by hitting threes at a .474 clip.

The graduate transfer ultimately chose Florida over Oklahoma, and a visit to see the Gators two weeks ago coupled with plenty of personal recruiting from White likely solidified that decision.

Koulechov also has a tremendous opportunity to play right away at Florida, either as a third starting guard or sixth man in a role similar to that Canyon Barry held during the 2016-17 campaign. It’s worth noting that Koulechov projects better than Barry and comes to the Gators at a time of great needs when either three or four of their top six players will not return to the team next season.

“I’m very excited to announce that I’m headed to The University of Florida. Go Gators!!!” Koulechov wrote on Twitter.

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