Five days after announcing that redshirt freshman shooting guard Brandone Francis-Ramirez would transfer, the Florida men's basketball program welcomed a key piece for the upcoming season. Canyon Barry, a graduate transfer from the College of Charleston, pledged to the Gators and will be eligible immediately.
In adding Barry, perhaps the most sought-after graduate transfer this year, Florida adds a much-needed shooter who should step right into the starting lineup at the small forward position. But first Barry needs to get healthy.
The youngest son of NBA Hall of Famer Rick Barry, injured his shoulder January 2 against William & Mary. Ironically Barry's mother, Lynn Norenberg Barry, is the all time leading scorer at William and Mary.
The 6-foot-6, 200 pound Barry was averaging a Colonial Athletic Association and team-leading 19.7 points and 3.4 rebounds for the Cougars -- including a 20 point game at Miami and a 19 point game against LSU. He shot 40.2 percent from the field in his abbreviated 2015-16 season.
A high basketball IQ scorer, who plans to study nuclear engineering, Barry visited the Gators in early April and chose Florida over Louisville, Miami and Northwestern.
As a redshirt sophomore in 2014-15, Barry averaged 12.5 points (on 37.9% shooting, 36.8% from behind the arc) and 5.1 rebounds per contest. In 2013-14 as a redshirt freshman, Barry recorded 9.3 points per game on 33.8% shooting (30.6% from three).
Like his father, Barry is well-known for shooting his free throws underhanded. Last season, he went 84.5% from the foul line - better than everybody on UF's roster who has attempted more than 10 free throws except KeVaughn Allen (84.6%). Throughout his college career, Barry has shot 76.5% from the charity stripe.
With the transfers of Francis-Ramirez and DeVon Walker this offseason, the addition of a productive guard like Barry adds nice depth at the wing for the Gators. With Barry now on board, UF is at 12 scholarships - not including Alex Murphy, who awaits a decision from the NCAA after applying for a waiver for an extra season of eligibility - which is one under the NCAA limit of 13.
The current 2016-17 roster, with the addition of Barry:
-- Senior guard Kasey Hill
-- Junior guard Chris Chiozza
-- Freshman guard Eric Hester
-- Sophomore guard KeVaughn Allen
-- Graduate transfer guard Canyon Barry
-- Junior forward Devin Robinson
-- Senior forward Justin Leon
-- Redshirt freshman forward Keith Stone
-- Sophomore forward Kevarrius Hayes
-- Freshman forward Dontay Bassett
-- Freshman forward/center Gorjok Gak
-- Redshirt junior center John Egbunu
-- Senior walk-on center Schuyler Rimmer
TBD: Forward Alex Murphy
Inside the Gators senior writer Landon Watnick contributed to this report.
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UPDATE (2:33 P.M. MONDAY): Florida basketball head coach Mike White officially announced the addition of Barry on Monday.
Barry also released a statement via UF:
"These past few months have been pretty crazy since I made the decision to graduate and transfer from the College of Charleston. I have been contacted by numerous coaches from some of the top teams in the country. I feel blessed and honored that they were interested in having me be a part of their programs. I am thankful that any decision I made would have allowed me to grow as a player and enjoy my last year of college athletics. I know this stems directly from the amazing coaches who recruited me.
"Ultimately, however, after much prayerful consideration, I have made my decision to attend the University of Florida next season and play for Coach Mike White as a Florida Gator.
"The University of Florida is a great fit for me for several reasons. First, they have an exceptional Nuclear Engineering program and actually have one of the only nuclear training reactors in the southeast. Secondly, I really like Coach White, his integrity, his honesty with me, and his style of play. He and I both feel that I can make an immediate contribution on the court and help the team chase the goals of winning an SEC Championship and getting to the NCAA tournament next season. I met the players on my official visit and felt right at home in Gainesville. Their dedication and enthusiasm have me truly excited to play with these guys. Lastly, I have family on both my mom and dad’s sides who live in Florida. My grandparents, aunts and uncles, and my cousins will all be able to see me play and cheer on our team. As I have said before, I am sad to be leaving Charleston, but excited for the academic and athletic challenges that lie ahead."
