(Jeff Houchin Photo for YourSportsEdge.com)
It didn’t take long for Kentucky coach John Calipari to start challenging junior center Nick Richards as soon as he opted to take his name out of the NBA draft to stay at UK.
Never mind that Richards barely played in UK’s biggest games in March and was not listed in any of the NBA mock drafts even in the second round.
“He’s driving me to be one of the best players in the country. Trying to make me one of the best big men in the country, and I am up for the challenge,” said Richards. “It’s not that hard for me to play basketball; it’s the sport I love to do.
“There’s not pressure towards it. Just taking it day by day and show him what I can do.”
The 6-11 Richards did lead UK with 47 blocked shots last season, including three blocks in three of the five games that Reid Travis missed and gave Richards more minutes. He showed flashes of the potential Calipari says he has with 14 points against Vanderbilt and a combined nine blocks in 23 minutes against Kansas and Vanderbilt. He also had a career-high 19 rebounds against Southern Illinois.
Richards said one main reason he wanted to stay at Kentucky was to “improve on my basketball skills” to get him better prepared for the next level.
“I thought that coming back for an extra year would just benefit that,” Richards said. “The main thing they (NBA scouts) were concerned about was me being more consistent. Everybody knows my game. They know what I can do.
“They wanted to know if I can bring it every single night. They wanted to know if I can do it in the NBA and hopefully do it for 82 games straight.”
Calipari has never questioned Richards’ potential. He’s constantly talked about him being a huge key to UK’s national championship success. Yet he’s always seemed to have a quick hook with Richards when he commits a foul, blows a defensive assignment or fails to get a rebound.
Richards averaged only 12.1 minutes per game last season — eighth teammates averaged more minutes per game.
“He hasn’t been treated any different than any other player here and now he’s got this opportunity in front of him. He’s going to have to go and take it, but it’s still an opportunity,” Calipari said. “It’s his job to go take it.
“I believe he will. I believed in the kid probably in the first two years more than he believed in himself. I’m not the only one. I think a lot of people are saying with his size and length, who’s like him in the country? There is nobody. There’s no one like him in the country, so now it’s his chance.”
Richards said coming back was an easy decision and that he knew he would be coming back before he officially announced it. His goal is to be a better player daily and develop the consistency NBA scouts — and Calipari — have told him he must develop.
“Coach just talks about me getting into the gym and working out the same things over and over again. Hopefully one day it just clicks on the basketball court,” Richards said. “I’m just going out there and take it day by day. I’m trying to show everyone what kind of player I am and show everybody I love the game of basketball. Just try to move forward from there.”
