FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (April 8, 2021) – Bolstering their frontcourt depth, the Northern Arizona men's basketball team finalized the commitment of Justus Rainwater, a graduate transfer from Florida Gulf Coast, on Thursday. Rainwater will have one season of eligibility beginning in the fall.
"Justus wants to be here and he had a lot of other options," said head coach
Shane Burcar. "He has one year and Justus has made it clear, he wants to finish his college career on the right note. What does that mean for someone who has played four years of college basketball? Winning the conference championship and going to the NCAA Tournament. There is no ego, Justus wants to come in here, help our young guys and help us win."
Rainwater is a 6-8 center who recently completed his second year at Florida Gulf Coast after transferring into the Eagles' program prior to the 2019-20 season. Rainwater appeared in 49 games and earned 35 starts in his two seasons in Fort Myers, Fla.
In his first season with the Eagles, Rainwater averaged 20.9 minutes per game and started 30 of 32 games while recording averages of 6.0 points and a team-leading 5.4 rebounds. He shot 59.9 percent from the floor, which would have ranked 16th nationally had he met the minimum field goals made per game requirement, and ranked fifth in the ASUN with 37 blocked shots.
This past season, Rainwater appeared in 17 of Florida Gulf Coast's 18 games and made five starts. In just under eight minutes per game, the Enumclaw, Wash. product averaged 2.2 points and 2.4 rebounds while shooting an incredible 15-of-20 (75 percent) from the deck.
"What he does for us is he plays so hard and he's a great rim-runner and he can hedge ball screens," Burcar said. "Justus plays above the rim. He's a gifted athletic player. A lot of people in our league will drop on ball screen coverages and they won't be able to do that now because we'll throw it above the rim and he'll go get it. Justus is a seasoned college basketball player and he can help our program make that next step."
Rainwater has an Arizona connection, having started his college career at Cochise College in Douglas, Ariz. – about two hours southeast of Tucson. In his final year at Cochise, he averaged 8.8 points and 6.1 rebounds while shooting 68.4 percent from the floor in addition to totaling 54 blocks and 14 steals in 30 games started.
Rainwater is the second transfer announced by NAU this week, joining
Mason Stark (Chandler, Ariz./Northern State). Like Stark, Rainwater was also drawn to Flagstaff by NAU's Student-Athlete High Performance Center, which is set to be completed in early 2022.
The Student-Athlete High Performance Center is a 72,000 square foot facility that will include, among others, enhanced spaces for strength & conditioning, sports medicine and academics.
"Justus, like Mason, is high-academic and he's already graduated," Burcar said. "He's going to get his graduate degree and the Student-Athlete High Performance Center is a reason he's coming. It's going to be a one-stop shop."
At Cochise College, Rainwater earned NJCAA Academic All-America honors. Last season, Rainwater was also a member of the NABC Honors Court, recognizing juniors and seniors who have a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher.
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