Florida guard Will Richard tops 1,000-point mark for his career

Florida guard Will Richard entered Saturday’s game against Georgia with 999 career points, just one shy of the coveted 1,000-point mark.

He wasted little time passing the career milestone, doing so in the first half against the Bulldogs. Richard tied, then eclipsed the 1,000-point mark at the free-throw stripe.

He had previously downplayed the importance of reaching 1,000 points, though he noted it would still mean a lot to him.

“Not really,” Will Richard said when asked if the milestone means anything to him. “I’m just trying to win. So, if I get it and we win I’m happy with that. But if we go out and lose, I won’t be happy.”

Florida will have work to do if it hopes to prevent a loss after Georgia started off red hot on the offensive end in the first half of the game. The Bulldogs hit their first eight shots from the floor to race out to an early lead, with the Gators doing their best to adjust to try to hang on.

But for Richard, the milestone is a testament to the work he’s put in.

“I’ve always been a hard worker,” Will Richard said. “I mean, I feel like I have to work harder than everybody, just being under-recruited out of high school and all, that’s always been on my mind. Just always working hard to get myself where I want to be.”

Richard is one of five double-figure scorers for the Gators, averaging 11.1 points and 3.9 rebounds per game. He also chips in 1.4 assists per contest.

The former Belmont transfer is in his second season with Florida and has continued to mesh well with the team. He’s already had four games this season where he scored 20 or more points, a big weapon when he’s firing on all cylinders.

Florida, for its part, is looking to fully secure its NCAA Tournament berth. The Gators are 17-7 on the season entering Saturday’s showdown with former coach Mike White and the Bulldogs, as well as 7-4 in SEC play.

The Gators can likely cement their bid with a few more quality outings, and Will Richard is a huge part of that.

At the time of this writing he had just two points on 0-of-2 shooting in the first half against Georgia.