HILLSIDE, N.J. — John Calipari has enjoyed great recruiting success in the state of New Jersey in recent years, landing Isaiah Briscoe, Karl-Anthony Towns, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Dakari Johnson during his time at Kentucky.
Now the Kentucky coach is laser-focused on 6-foot-11 big man Nick Richards, who plays at St. Patrick’s, the New Jersey power that produced both Kidd-Gilchrist and Johnson as well as current NBA champion Kyrie Irving of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
On Thursday afternoon, before heading to enjoy the Jersey Shore for a few days, Calipari was at St. Pat’s along with assistant Tony Barbee to meet with Richards and his family, a visit first reported by SNY.tv.
“When he comes into the building, everything comes to a standstill,” St. Pat’s coach Chris Chavannes said. “The faculty, everything comes to a standstill. It’s huge when he comes by here. It’s great for the kids to see him, and it’s great for the young kids to see him. He definitely did stop traffic inside the building and outside the building.”
Calipari and Barbee met with Richards and watched part of an open gym that also drew Tulane head coach Mike Dunleavy Sr., and assistants from Rutgers, Minnesota, Old Dominion and Fordham.
Because Calipari recruited Kidd-Gilchrist and Johnson, “He’s very familiar with the guys,” Chavannes said. “Even though it’s a new building, it’s normal for us to see him come in the building.”
Kidd-Gilchrist has also called Richards to encourage him to choose Kentucky.
The Kentucky coach also visited Richards several times during his junior season, and appears to be in strong position to land him.
“His mom walked out and said that they’ve narrowed it down,” Chavannes said. “What does that mean? I don’t know. I’ll have to speak to her a little more and see what that means.
“I spoke to Calipari on the way out and he said it went extremely well, and he was very happy.”
Richards also lists Syracuse, UConn, Indiana and Arizona.
St. Pat’s senior guard Jamir Harris thinks Richards, who flashed a nifty jump hook this summer, has vastly improved his offensive game and that it will only get better.
“He’s going to bring a lot to the table wherever he decides to go,” Harris said. “He can run the floor like a guard, like a deer, his hands have gotten a lot better. He’s extremely athletic, so he’s going to play on the floor right away.
“He’s definitely improved a lot [offensively]. I think people might not notice it because of his athleticism and how he blocks shots and rebounds, but he really can score now. Whatever school he goes to, he’s going to be great.”
Calipari visited him after seeing fellow 2017 targets Mohamed Bamba, Kevin Knox, John Petty, Trae Young, P.J. Washington, Lonnie Walker, Tremont Waters and Hamidou Diallo over the last week.
Following the meeting with Richards, Calipari and Barbee drove down the Garden State Parkway to see Class of 2019 stars Scottie Lewis and Bryan Antoine at the Ranney School.
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