As Florida looks to add impactful perimeter pieces to their transfer class that already includes a pair of frontcourt players there is a name they are starting to hone in on–VCU’s Max Shulga.
Shulga is a 6’4” point guard that just finished his fourth season of college basketball and will look to finish out his eligibility at a new spot. Starting his career at Utah State, Shulga was an effective player who only left the Aggies to follow coach Ryan Odom who left Utah State to take the job at VCU. After a tremendous season he’ll be heavily recruited, and he checks a lot of boxes the Gators are looking for.
Last season Shulga averaged 14.4 points, 3.6 assists, and 4.6 rebounds helping lead the way for a VCU team that finished 75th in KenPom before going on to the NIT where they beat Villanova and South Florida. 75th in KenPom would have equalled the 9th best team in the SEC, so Shulga comes from a winning situation. In fact, he has played in two winning situations as Utah State was very good during his tenure, allowing Shulga to play in three NCAA Tournament games.
Shulga also has great size at 6’4” and after proving himself in the Mountain West and Atlantic 10 there shouldn’t be much concern with his ability to compete with physicality and athleticism.
Where Shulga shines is the pick and roll game where he is a surgeon picking apart defenses with the dribble as he constantly surveys help defenders before finding the open man. At 6’4” he’s able to make any pass and see over the top of the defense, and if no one stops him he’s big and skilled enough to get all the way to the rim and finish. In the 95th percentile when it comes to pick and roll scoring (according to Synergy Basketball) he’s as good as it gets when it comes to using a ball screen and that’s exactly what the Gators could use to replace another big guard that was excellent at scoring out of ball screens in Zyon Pullin. It’s not just the scoring as Shulga’s passing numbers are also very good in the pick and roll, and while he occasionally will turn the ball over trying to make a fancy pass, when he connects on some of his attempts it turns into easy layups for his teammates.
Another element Shulga brings to the table is elite three-point shooting. Shulga hit 42% of his threes last season on 5.6 attempts per game, something the Gators could desperately use after not being a high volume three-point shooting team a year ago. He’s also a career 40% three-point shooter, so he has shown for years now that he can take and make shots from deep and right now he stands as one of the most accurate long ball shooters in the portal.
Playing fast also isn’t a problem for Shulga who was in the 95th percentile as a transition player, pushing the ball as soon as it was in his hands before getting all the way to the rim or finding a teammate for an open three on the wing. As the Gators look to keep their pace high–Shulga is a capable quarterback.
Shulga isn’t an elite athlete but he’s a capable one and with his intelligence and length he’s a solid team defender who doesn’t get beat much off the dribble when guarding the ball. VCU played an aggressive brand of defense that saw Shulga pick up ball handlers early and he was able to keep smaller players in front of him even with his bigger frame.
A native of Kyiv, Ukraine, Shulga brings some of the high-IQ brand of European basketball to the college game and has had a lot of success already and now looks to prove it on the highest level.
Florida is considered to be right in the mix here alongside Louisville, though Shulga has been keeping the recruitment quiet and we don’t know for sure what visits he has lined up.
With the first two commitments the Gators looked at defense first, but Shulga would bring all kinds of offensive ability that would balance the class nicely.
There is no known timetable for Shulga to make a decision.