Kentucky assistant coach Kenny Payne can remember games last season when center Nick Richards would come out of a game and it was obvious he didn’t believe he could hit a jump hook, catch an alley-cop pass or switch on a ball screen and defend a point guard.
“It’s not that he couldn’t do it, but he has to believe he can do it and last year he didn’t believe,” Payne said. “I would say, ‘You have been trained, coddled, maneuvered and put in position to do these things and now it is time to show yourself you can do it.
“He’s a great kid and he worked so hard this summer getting in great shape. He’s one of those kids when he thinks he has a lot (of energy) left, he feels good. If he feels tired and doesn’t think anything is left, he’s different and lets down. He can’t be that way this year.”
Richards says he is more excited to start this season than his first two at UK. He came to Kentucky with a goal of winning a national title, something he’s yet to do but hopes can be done this season.
“I don’t feel any pressure at all. I know I have a good team that’s behind me. I know I can play basketball, and it’s just me stepping on the court to prove to everyone that I can play,” Richards said.
He’s yet to consistently do that at Kentucky. In two seasons he’s played in 74 games with 40 starts but has averaged just 4.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.1 blocks and 13.4 minutes per game. He’s shot 60 percent from the field but taken just 194 shots — less than three per game.
Richards did lead Kentucky with 47 blocked shots last year — one reason coach John Calipari is counting on him to be an even better rim protector this year. He had eight points, seven rebounds and three blocks against No. 7 Tennessee in the regular season and had eight points and four rebounds in UK’s first NCAA Tournament win last year when P.J. Washington was out with an injury.
“Nick isn’t playing basketball against an opponent,” Payne said. “His biggest opponent is his own demons and lack of belief in himself. That’s hard to conquer. We are trying to show him when he thinks there is nothing left to give, he can give more.
“Our job is to prepare him to have a great junior season. Coach has been building Nick up and getting him to feel good about who he is but at the end of the day this is a man’s world and we can only do so much to help him.”
Calipari said the expectation for Richards should be that “this is his time” to shine this season. The Kentucky coach said having to play against “two mooses” in practice last year in Washington and Reid Travis could have contributed to Richards’ loss of confidence.
“Right now, what he’s doing on the court and how he’s playing, whether he goes against EJ (Montgomery), whether he goes against Nate (Sestina), scoring around the basket, shooting the ball better, running, he’s in the best shape I’ve seen him in,” Calipari said.
Now the UK junior has to prove he can also play when teams get physical and try to “rough” him up. Calipari wants to see if he can sustain his play and confidence when that happens.
“Until we start playing games, who will know? My hope is he’s ready for it. He’s been here, has a smile on his face, he’s a beautiful kid, he’s one of the nicest people we have had here. There’s no one rooting for him more than me,” Calipari said.
It has been that way since Richards arrived at UK. His biggest supporter has been Calipari even if he has had to bench him at critical parts of most games because of his ineffective play. Now Richards is ready to hopefully repay Calipari’s belief in him.
“It helps to know that I have a coach that has confidence in me and that I have a coaching staff that is helping me get better every day,” Richards said. “Either way, coaches tell me in practice, ‘Stick to what we tell you to do but also try to work on your game, as well,’ and that’s what I’m trying to do.”