Israeli guard Nimrod Tishman could play for Florida Gators

It looks like the Florida Gators basketball team may have some help on the way in the backcourt, as Israeli guard Nimrod Tishman seems to be strongly considering the Gators.

I've been pretty vocal about the lack of depth in the backcourt since Nick Calathes decided to take his game overseas, and I still feel that the Gators might be in trouble if our backcourt rotation consists of only three players.

Currently, we're looking at either Erving Walker or Kenny Boynton at the point guard spot. Boynton is a more natural two guard, but he would have to play the point some to give Walker a breather at times. That would leave Ray Shipman playing the two guard when Boynton is at the point.

Shipman, to me, is a much more natural three guard, where he can man up on someone on defense more in line with his size. With the addition of Tishman, it would allow much more flexibility in the backcourt.

The Israeli guard is 6-foot-6 and can play any of the three guard spots. In fact, NBA Draft analyst Jonathan Givony compared him to Calathes due to his versatility. Givony also said Tishman was one of the best players in the 2009 U-18 European Championships.

Tishman has really impressed there for the Israeli team, averaging 18.6 points per game, to go along with 4.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. He shot a blistering 53.3% from behind the arc in the competition.

I think he's a great fit for Florida with his versatility, and just having another body back there for the 2009-10 season would be huge for the Florida Gators basketball team.

It's still pretty unclear where Tishman stands as far as coming over here to play, but the Gators are making a very solid push for him. He would have to jump through a few minor hurdles, as he is required to go through three years of military service as an Israeli. That said, there are exceptions for people who go abroad to a University.

There are also a couple minor NCAA hurdles he would have to clear, but all signs so far are that it wouldn't be a big deal. We should know more in the next few weeks, but it would be really key for us to land Nimrod Tishman. We really need the depth in the backcourt.