Position Preview: Kowacie Reeves, Will Richard battle for the wing

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Florida Gators men’s basketball team has a couple options to fill its wing position this season following the departure of Phlandrous Fleming Jr.

Will Kowacie Reeves step into a full-time starting role in his second year with the Gators, or could it be Belmont transfer Will Richard emerge at the three-spot?

Regardless, head coach Todd Golden knows his first Florida team must improve on its 3-point shooting percentage. Reeves shot 33.3 percent from triple as a freshman, while Richard shot 32.6 percent from downtown a season ago.

Whoever starts at the wing will have to be hitting shots from behind the arc.

“I think I fit this offense pretty well,” Reeves said. “It’s really fast paced. We can get a lot of possessions. That’s what I noticed at first. We do a lot more running. We don’t really want to get into half court sets like that, we want to get in transition.

“I think Coach Golden did a great job of putting player types together. We’ve got Kyle [Lofton], who’s pass-first but he also can go us a bucket when we need one. We’ve got Colin [Castleton], and guys like Will and Riley [Kugel] who are great drivers, and defensive guys like Niels [Lane]. I think I fit right in with my ability to shoot and stretch the floor with those type of elite drivers.”

Reeves returns with plenty left to accomplish. He showed a lot of upside in the 2021-22 season — scoring 21 points, all after halftime, in the SEC Tournament against Texas A&M — and has picked up where he left off in preseason camp.

“I think he’s playing the best basketball of his college career right now,” Golden told Gators Online of Reeves. “And to his credit, he was struggling a little bit at the beginning of the fall and I think kind of just getting comfortable. 

“One thing I’ll say about ‘Wace is he’s incredibly coachable. He’s really smart. He’s receptive to when we try to give him tips on how to be better. For us, it’s really encouraging because he’s got incredible gifts.”

Throughout preseason camp, the true sophomore has exhibited his shooting ability as well as his long frame, which has helped him on as a rebounder. Reeves is also “way, way better” with his physicality and conditioning, courtesy of new strength coach Victor Lopez.

“You know in a comic book when the character is going through development? It’s just like that,” Reeves said. ”Freshman year, I was so out of shape. I was trying my best, but now it just feels more natural.” 

Richard making a push

The Belmont transfer certainly fell behind in this position battle due to a knee injury he suffered in camp. His lights out shooting and ability to stretch the floor have kept him in it.

“He’s one of our best shooters on the team,” Golden said of Richard. “He has a knack for rebounding. He’s a really good rebounder. He wants to score so he runs the floor hard. He goes hard to the offensive glass. He makes winning plays other than shooting. That’s what I love most about Will.”

One area that has stood out from Richard’s play in camp is his off-ball defense. He has a knack to deflect passes and get steals, which then become points on the other end.

Richard has also established himself as one of Florida’s best 3-point shooters, with fellow transfer Alex Fudge giving Richard the edge over Reeves and Myreon Jones.

“Being able to score from all three levels,” Richard said when asked what he brings to the offense. “Being able to space the floor, hit wide open shots and come off screen to hit shots.

“Being a shooter is something that I’ve been my whole life, so I definitely feel I put a lot of work in. I’m glad to see it paying off.”

Not much separates Reeves and Richard, and it’s likely the Gators will have lineups with them on the court at the same time. At least one of them will have to play at a high level this season in order to help the Gators find success.

True freshman Riley Kugel, who is already competing to start at the two-spot, also fits into the wing category. He has a lot of the same characteristics as both Reeves and Richard. 

The one thing Kugel doesn’t have that they do is in-game collegiate experience, but that won’t keep him from seeing the court early and often.

“He looks like he’s ready to play now,” Myreon Jones said of Kugel. “He has the physicality. He has the mindset to be a pro. I can see it in him a lot. He’s still making little freshman mistakes, but I think as time goes on, he’s going to be one of the best players to come through here.”

Stay tuned to Gators Online.