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Nick Richards took the Path Most Players are not Willing to take…but it paid off

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5 years ago

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On November 10, 2016, Nick Richards committed to play basketball at the University of Kentucky. At that time, he was ranked in the top 20 of the ESPN 100 as a five-star recruit, just four years after he started playing basketball.

Today, Richards announced that he would forego his remaining eligibility and stay in the 2020 NBA Draft, whenever it might occur. But, when it does occur and Richards’ name is announced, I can assure you he will get one huge hug from John Calipari and many Kentucky fans across the country will shed a tear because we all know what he’s been through.

The road he took from the day he committed to draft day is not one many players are willing to take.

Nick Richards was discovered by Andre Rickett, a New York City basketball scout, in Jamaica in the summer of 2013. That’s where it began.

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The Jamaican stud visited Lexington on September 30 and committed to play for John Calipari not even two months later. Richards only held offers from two other schools, Arizona and Syracuse.

Many of us first saw Richards play at the 2017 McDonald’s All-American Game at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. He recorded two points, two rebounds, and two blocked shots in 14 minutes of action. A stat-line that would sadly become consistent in his first two years as a Wildcat.

He would go on to play in the 2017 Jordan Brand Classic and would later be selected to the World Team in the 2017 Nike Hoops Summit before beginning his freshman year under John Calipari.

His freshman year was full of disappointment. Yes, nearly that entire roster was, as the Cats never really lived up to their potential, getting bounced in the Sweet 16 by Kansas State, but it was really a painful first year for Richards.

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In 37 games played, Richards totaled 15 minutes per game, averaging only 5 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 blocked shot.

Freshman Nick Richards will be remembered more for his poorly-timed blocked shot attempts, missed dunks, dropped balls, and ability to always looked lost on the court.

My dad would always say at least once during games, “someone needs to stop giving Nick Richards buttered popcorn before games.”

Honestly, you would think there was nowhere to go but up. We all thought he would have a breakout sophomore year, at least I did, and that he would be departing Lexington after two years of college play. Boy was we wrong. Things got a lot worse.

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In his sophomore year, Richards saw drops in all of his per-game averages, except blocks. The good thing was Kentucky didn’t really need him because of guys like P.J. Washington and Reid Travis. Could you imagine if both P.J. and Nick made that jump? Kentucky would’ve coasted to a ninth national title.

Instead, Richards sat the bench most of the NCAA Tournament, playing not even a minute in Kentucky’s Elite Eight loss to Auburn, and making for a very disappointing sophomore campaign.

Yes, the “buttered popcorn” joke was uttered by my father many times that year.

I hate to say it, but I, along with many others, had given up on Nick Richards and turned our heads toward E.J. Montgomery. Yes, the one player left to announce his NBA decision.

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We were all looking for him to make that P.J. Washington-like jump from his freshman to sophomore year. Well, that didn’t happen. Instead, the improvement we hoped to see in Nick Richards the previous year came a year later.

Richards’ numbers improved immensely. In 31 games this year, Richards averaged 30 MPG, 14 points, eight rebounds, two blocks, and shot 75-percent from the free throw line.

I guess someone finally took the butter off the popcorn.

Sadly, Kentucky’s season ended early due to the COVID-19 pandemic, ending, as of now, six Kentucky careers early. Who knows if the Cats would’ve been cutting down the nets in Atlanta. But, watching guys improve like Immanuel Quickley and Nick Richards was good enough for me.

As I said above, the path Richards took to staying in the NBA Draft isn’t one many players are willing to take.

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After Richards had the best game of his UK career against Texas Tech, he told the media that it’s okay to not be a one-and-done:

We don’t know when the NBA Draft will take place or when Richards will be drafted. But, when he is, it will be a very special occasion.

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Men's Basketball

Kentucky Basketball Players Say They Think About Winning National Championship “Every Second”

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3 days ago

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November 18, 2024

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Kentucky basketball players celebrate after their big over Duke.
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The expectations at Kentucky are the highest of any school in the country, and there is good reason why. The winningest college program ever. Eight national titles, under five different coaches. Seventeen Final Four appearances. You get it, a lot of success.

Fans want the players to have those same expectations. Despite not having the elite talent or preseason hype of great Kentucky teams past, this year’s team still has their eyes set on doing something “people will remember forever”, winning a national championship.

Asked on social media, if hanging banner #9 was all the players thought about “every second”, Ansley Almonor had a response.

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“We do.”

It takes a lot to win a national championship, including some luck, but this team is certainly going to be loved for their desire to live out their dream of playing at Kentucky and their unselfishness. Those two things can take them a long way this season .

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Men's Basketball

Kentucky AD Mitch Barnhart Seemingly Takes Shot at John Calipari, “Anybody Can Recruit”

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5 days ago

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November 16, 2024

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Mitch Barnhart sitting next to basketball coach John Calipari.
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John Calipari and Kentucky Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart had their differences over fifteen years, but success can hide a lot of things. Not that they hated each other, but they each had vastly different personalities. As that success weaned towards the end of Calipari’s tenure, those issues started to be noticed publically.

If you need evidence of that, despite their efforts to dispute it, there is the infamous press conference where Barnhart talked about “entitled” coaches, shortly after Calipari publicly called for a new practice facility. Then, there were multiple times when Calipari expressed that the administration was not on the same page and that he was facing “headwinds”.

That said, Calipari is now at Arkansas, but those differences and some disdain remain. During an interview on the Kentucky Football pregame show, Barnhart seemingly took a shot at Calipari when asked about Mark Pope’s recruiting philosophy and prioritizing fit.

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“I tell people all the time, ‘Anybody can recruit, not everybody can evaluate,’” Barnhart said. “You can recruit. You can be phenomenal at bringing people to your program. But if it does not fit you, it’s really not helpful.”

Of course, Calipari is one of the best, if not the best, recruiters in college basketball history. At times, he prioritized talent and athleticism over fit.

Quite the coincidence.

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Men's Basketball

ESPN’s Jay Williams Gives Message to Kentucky Fans, “You’re Not Going to Like It…”

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6 days ago

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November 15, 2024

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ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Williams gives a message to Kentucky fans after the Wildcats win over Duke. "You won't like it."
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Back in April, opposing fanbases like Duke, told Kentucky fans to “cope with Pope” following the hire of Mark Pope and the corresponding initial shock. On Tuesday, those same fanbases had to watch as Mark Pope outcoached Jon Scheyer and Duke in the final minutes of the Champion’s Classic to get his first marque win in just his third game at Kentucky.

Of course, shortly after the game, Duke fans began to rationalize the loss by highlighting their team’s youth. While true, it sounded like an echo chamber of what Kentucky fans said for years under John Calipari. One notable example was former Blue Devil Jay Williams.

At halftime, while Duke was leading 46-37, Williams called this year’s Duke team the most talented since the 2001 team that he was a part of at halftime. To his credit, he complimented Kentucky on the comeback victory, specifically on their offense and maturity, but then 36 hours later he posted a message to Kentucky fans on social media.

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“Let me put you on to something,” Williams started. “Whether you like it or not, networks are going to sell Cooper Flagg. He’s going to be the number one pick in the draft. You’re going to talk about whether he won the or whether he lost the game, regardless of the outcome.”

“You’re not going to like it. There should be more kudos to Mark Pope and Kentucky,” Williams continued. “Regardless of whether you won the game or not, they’re still going to sell Cooper Flagg because he is selling the sport. Sorry.”

William’s statement is true. That said, it comes off as ‘sour grapes’ about losing. Cooper Flagg is a great talent and will likely be the first pick in the NBA Draft, but most Kentucky fans would say they would much rather have the win than the marketing.

Futhermore, Kentucky and its ‘brand’ has raised the level of multiple players and coaches, and will continue to do so. A deeper impact than Cooper Flagg will have on Duke in just one season.

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