UMKC Guard Brandon McKissic Transfers To Florida

Florida got a boost to their 2021-22 roster on Friday as guard Brandon McKissic announced that he would be transferring from University of Missouri-Kansas City to the Gators.

With multiple transfers leaving the program the Gators had a lot of roster spots to fill and McKissic is a fantastic start to that process as a player that they likely see able to play the point guard or shooting guard position. Listed at 6’3” and 195 pounds the Ferguson, Missouri product stuffed the stat sheet in the Summit League and when he announced his intention to transfer a nearly endless amount of calls came in from the high-major ranks. Ultimately, he chose Florida over Kansas and Missouri.

Here are his 2020-21 statistics:

17.2 Points

3.7 Rebounds

3.3 Assists

1.5 Steals

3.0 Turnovers

42.9% Three-Point

66.7% Free Throw

McKissic played for Bradley Beal’s AAU team in high school before heading to UMKC. There he played for four seasons, making him technically a graduate transfer. With the previous year not counting towards eligibility and the likelihood that all transfers will be granted immediate eligibility this year the graduate transfer status might not technically need to come into play, but it’s worth noting his experience level as the Gators looked to add veterans to their roster. 

Offensively McKissic was one of the most efficient scorers out of the pick and roll for UMKC last year. Whether it was pulling up for the early jumper or getting all the way to the rim he was able to score at will and he was also a capable passer when he needed to hit the roll man or find a shooter on the opposite side of the floor. He has also shot the three well off the catch, including a ridiculous catch and shoot stat.

When wide open, he hit 62.5% of his threes off the catch last season.

There weren’t a ton of those attempts as he was often the player with the ball in his hands, but it’s worth noting that he was lights out when UMKC was able to find him an open three.

Turnovers have been an issue for McKissic, and it will be interesting to see if Florida chooses to use him as more of an initiator or if they try to use him away from the ball. They likely see him as someone who can play alongside Tyree Appleby for stretches, while also handling backup point guard duties. How they choose to play late game situations will also be intriguing, particularly because McKissic has a deficiency that could keep him out in crunch time occasionally. His 66.7% free throw stroke was actually a career high, and in his career he is only a 60.7% free throw shooter. 

Where the staff also sees McKissic contributing is on the defensive end after he was an All-Summit League defensive player. McKissic is strong positionally and plays with passion on the defensive end which can frustrate opponents and often allows him to come away with steals. Considering Florida hasn’t been where they’ve wanted to be defensively as of late it’s clear that bringing in players that can defend is a priority and McKissic is a step in that direction.

With so many spots to fill it’s going to be a busy offseason on the transfer market but the Gators are off to a solid start with the addition of Brandon McKissic.