NEW YORK — Kentucky’s John Calipari, Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim and UConn’s Kevin Ollie were among the coaches on hand on Saturday at the Nike EYBL stop in Brooklyn to watch Nick Richards, the 6-foot-11 big man from Expressions Elite.
Richards is looking to cut his list soon.
“I’ll probably announce my final eight by the end of this session,” he said. “I’m thinking about it [by Sunday], I’m not sure right now.”
Richards is a native of Jamaica who has only been playing organized ball for about three years. He remains pretty raw offensively but is a force in the paint defensively and has the frame and potential to have a bright career ahead.
“I’m trying to get better position in the post,” he said. “That’s one of my main weaknesses right now, I’m trying to get over that hump real quick.”
Nick Richards @n1ck_richards is ready for a big year in the Nike EYBL @EYBLTheCircuit @D1Circuit @XEliteBasketbal pic.twitter.com/fQRTt8RbIX
– Buzzer Beater BBall (@talk_ball) April 9, 2016
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Richards said he noticed the Kentucky coach in the second half when he was sitting at midcourt.
“It was a good opportunity to watch me, I hope that he loved the game,” Richards said of Calipari, who visited Richards twice this year at St. Patrick’s, including once last month.
“They probably contact me like once a week, probably once or twice a week,” he added of Kentucky. “He came to my school to visit, talked to me for like 30 minutes and then he left.”
Calipari has had success at St. Pat’s, landing both Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Dakari Johnson from the New Jersey Catholic powerhouse that also produced former Duke star Kyrie Irving.
Meantime, Syracuse’s Boeheim and assistant Gerry McNamara — fresh off their Final Four appearance — continue to work hard for Richards, who would probably fit in perfectly in the zone with his length and abilty to alter and block shots.
“They’re recruiting level is very high for me, they’re probably calling me the most out of everybody,” Richards said. “Probably three, four times a week.”
UConn also visited Richards at St. Pat’s.
“Kentucky, Syracuse, UConn, those are the main schools that are high recruiting me right now, and Indiana,” Richards said.
Indiana assistant Chuck Martin was also on hand.
“I like their style of play,” he said. “I like everything about them to be honest.
He has visited UConn and Villanova, but has no other visits planned at moment.
“I’ll probably discuss it with my family and see what’s going to happen throughout the summer,” he said.
NKentucky’s John Calipari, Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim and UConn’s Kevin Ollie were among the coaches on hand on Saturday to watch Nick Richards, the 6-foot-10 big man from Expressions Elite.
