Much of Florida’s recruiting efforts for the 2023-24 season might be on the transfer portal but that doesn’t mean they have completely closed the book on the possibility of bringing in another high school player.
Blue Cain is a wing that the Gators have had their eye on and last weekend he took an official visit to Gainesville, heating up the idea that he could become a Gator. In a world of immediately eligible transfers a lot of SEC teams are purely focused on veteran players they could bring in, but the Gators see Cain as someone who not only could contribute next season but for seasons to come.
Originally Cain was committed to Josh Pastner at Georgia Tech but was released from his letter of intent when Pastner was fired. At the time of his commitment he had interest from Syracuse and South Carolina, as well as some high level mid-major programs.
Cain is a 6’4” shooting guard who has seen his stock rise immensely since an outstanding performance on the 17U UAA circuit, followed by another big time performance at GEICO Nationals, including a play where he hit a turnaround jumper from near halfcourt to win the game at the buzzer. Though when he committed to Georgia Tech he wasn’t getting a lot of looks from the top levels of the high-major level, this performance made it that when he decommitted, a lot of the big boys (including Florida) took interest.
According to the 247 Composite Recruiting Rankings, Cain is the 98th ranked player in the class of 2023.
As a player, Cain is a fascinating offensive player–the kind of guy you find it hard to take your eyes off of when he’s on the floor. Everything is extremely smooth, poised, and meticulous–especially when he’s getting to his pull up jumper. That’s the signature shot of his game–a smooth, compact jump shot off the dribble following a series of dribble moves that lull a defender to sleep or get him off balance. There is a high level of skill to everything Cain does, and it seems like every move he makes with the ball is calculated. Listed perhaps generously at 180 pounds, Cain isn’t particularly muscular at this point, and he’s also not an elite athlete. Those are the traits that kept him from getting top-level recruitment, but it’s also the traits that forced him to become extremely skilled and controlled as he couldn’t rely on pure physical ability to get downhill and finish. While there might be some questions about his frame and athleticism level, his advanced skill set is something you don’t see from a lot of high school players.
Last season the Gators were in dire need of someone who could create a shot so it makes a lot of sense that they’d have interest in Cain whose ability to string together a few dribbles before creating space for a jumper is exactly what the Gators were missing.
Cain currently attends IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida—one of the elite programs in the country. However, through multiple coaching staffs, the relationship and ability to get players from the in-state basketball factory that is IMG has been shaky at times. Todd Golden and his staff have the opportunity for a clean slate, and certainly they’d love to start a pipeline with IMG that could keep elite players in Florida.
Currently Cain is looking at Florida, Virginia, Kansas, Auburn, Georgia, Nebraska, South Carolina, and the possibility of again committing to Georgia Tech.