UF newcomer 3gor as good as advertised
GAINESVILLE – All shooting guard Egor Koulechov could do was smile.
He was not alone Monday night.
A UF fan base starved for excitement and offense lately was treated to plenty of both during the No. 8 Gators’ 116-74 season-opening win against Gardner-Webb.
With the school’s football program piling up losses and in coaching limbo, Mike White’s squad lived to their top 10 ranking while Koulechov proved to be as good as advertised.
The highly touted Rice graduate transfer hit just one of his first four shots but hardly missed again on his way to 23 first-half points and 34 overall, tying Tom Baxley for the most points by a UF player during his debut. Baxley scored 34 points in 1962 against Miami and future star Rick Barry.
Only former AllAmerican Neal Walk, with 37 points against Jacksonville in 1967, has scored more points for the Gators during a season opener.
“Every time I got the ball, I was looking for him,” senior point guard Chris Chiozza said. “When he shot it, everyone knew it was going.”
Nicknamed 3gor for his long-range shooting prowess, Koulechov finished 6 of 9 from beyond the arc. His first 3-pointer for his new team ignited an 11-0 run to break open a close game.
The 3-pointers kept coming from Koulechov and the Gators, who reeled off six more on their next nine baskets. When Koulechov effortlessly hit a 3-pointer in transition during the torrid run, his face lit up as a couple of teammates ran to him.
“You have to have fun when you play,” he said.
Koulechov was not finished, even if Gardner-Webb was.
The 6-foot-5, 205-pound senior hit a 23-foot 3-pointer to give him five by halftime as the Gators led 55-32.
Shooting guard Jalen Hudson, another highly touted transfer (Virginia Tech), chipped in 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting. Freshman back-up point Mike Okauru added 13 points.