Going to St. Patrick High School that had so many other talented players and great history gave Nick Richards perspective, which should help him in a similar situation at Kentucky.
“Most elite high school kids can take however many shots they want in high school,” Richards said. “My coach disciplined me and told me to think about the team first. It’s always team first. And I think that just made me more humble. I appreciate him for that.
“We won, but I couldn’t do it without my teammates or my coaches. When you got guys where your bench is 10 deep, that really helps you.”
As a 6-10, 185-pound high school freshman who was still just learning how to play basketball, Richards often got pushed around inside and had trouble rebounding.
However, he never doubted that he could get better — and he did. Going into his freshman season at Kentucky, he now weighs 240 pounds and proved he would be much more than a Division III player like some had tried to tell him.
“When people tell me I can’t do something, that just motivates me more,” the 6-11 Richards said.
He’s reminded of that daily now with a tattoo across his chest he got in July. Unlike many teammates, it was his first tattoo and says, “Be somebody that nobody thought you could be.”
Kentucky coach John Calipari is counting on him to be an inside presence. He’s an athletic player with length (7-4 wingspan, 9-1 standing reach) who runs the floor well. He could be not only be a rim protector but also a dominant offensive rebounder.
“He is a big time athlete. He’s a fast, quick twitch athlete,” Kentucky assistant coach Kenny Payne said. “He’s still relatively new to the game, but he is super talented. It is going to be fun coaching him.”
Payne, and others, admit he’s somewhat in the mold of former Wildcat Willie Cauley-Stein with his skill set and size coming into college.
“He does not have the same personality and trick hair-dos that Willie did, but on the court he’s a lot like Willie was at this point,” Payne said.
He grew up in Jamaica preferring soccer over basketball. He came to the United States to play at the Patrick School in New Jersey, the same school where former Kentucky star forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist player. As a senior, Richards didn’t put up the astronomical numbers – 12.3 points and 7.5 rebounds per game – but he was still named the NJ.com Player of the Year in New Jersey because of the way he could alter games.
“I think it was my sophomore year that I decided to put basketball first. I stopped playing soccer when I was about 10 or 11. I just watch soccer now. I still really like it, but just to watch,” Richards said. “I can still remember when I first got over here. People were saying I was tall and should just put the ball in the basket. It was not easy for me. Guys were pushing me around. But I would not give up.
“I had a lot to learn about the game. I’ve learned how to get around guys, how to help guard guards. I think I have a better IQ and feel for the game. I’m not where I want to be yet. That’s why I am here for coach Cal to make me better.”
Richards joked that Calipari told him the summer was hard, but it was only going to get more difficult for him. Payne has already had him take a 10-pound weighted ball and dunk it 40 times in a row.
“I could not walk when I got finished. I was in so much pain,” Richards said. “I know he wants the best for me. He wants me to be better as a player and person. That’s him.”
Richards is a believer in freshman point guard Quade Green and his leadership skills.
“He is a funny guy with a lot of heart. He is just a winner. Whatever it takes to win, he just tries to win,” Richards said. “He is just funny off the court. He is not as serious as he is on the court. He makes a lot of jokes. He tries to bully us and we try to bully him back. He tries to push us around, but it is not going to happen.”
He also got to spend quality time with freshmen P.J. Washington and Jarred Vanderbilt in postseason all-star play before they got to Kentucky.
“They are both guys who play really hard. P.J., he does everything. Jarred is more finesses. He gets buckets, rebounds. They both do a lot and are so much fun to play with,” Richards said.