Frank Richards To Visit NC State

Frank Richards, a 6-2, 180 pound point guard from Olney Central C.C. in Olney, Ill., will take an official visit to N.C. State next weekend before signing a national letter of intent this fall.

JUCO Junction/Rivalshoops.com spoke with Olney Central Head Coach Jim Glash on Wednesday afternoon, and he said that Richards will visit the ACC school from Oct. 26-28 before reaching a decision.

Earlier this fall, Richards had visited Kansas State, and reports swirled that he had given the Wildcats a verbal commitment shortly after his late September trip.

However, Coach Glash has consistently maintained that Richards did not willingly commit, and he feels strongly that his point guard should make the most informed decision possible by taking another fall trip.

A native of Rockford, Ill., Richards had committed to Ohio University out of high school. After failing to qualify academically, he enrolled at Olney Central last fall, where he helped lead the Knights to a 17-13 ledger and appearance in the Region IV Tournament Final.

In that championship tilt, the eventual national champion Wabash Valley Warriors upended Olney in a thriller. Just weeks earlier, Olney Central handed Wabash what turned out to be the only blemish on its schedule.

During the summer, Butler and Illinois-Chicago were on Richards heavily, but a strong performance at Rick Ball's Ball Stars J.C. Camp in Terre Haute, Ind., helped put Richards on the national map.

That's when Kansas State, Auburn and other high majors began to inquire about Richards.

"Frank has matured so much as a point guard, Glash said. "We saw him grow during last season from the beginning to the end. He continued to develop as a point guard as the year went on and our team got much better as the year went on, and a big part of that was just Frank becoming comfortable running a team. Then he went out and had a great summer, playing at events in the Chicagoland area and Rick Ball's camp."

In addition to the gradual improvements in his overall game, Glash said there are many things which make Richards a prime high Division I target.

"He always had the ability to score, but now he is combining that with the ability to run an offense," Glash explained. "That's made him really attractive. We've always known that he's been able to guard the ball -- he's extremely quick and puts really good pressure on the ball and plays extremely hard. But the big thing that attracted the high majors to him was that they saw he could run a basketball team from the point guard position."

Richards also possesses subtle offensive nuances that make him a dangerous offensive weapon either on the go or stationary.

"Frank is very good off the dribble, but the thing that he can do that people don't understand is that he's very good at reading screens and which angle to come off of them and catching and shooting the ball," Glash said. "He does not have to put it on the floor to score. Frank can do both."

Richards should have a decision shortly after the conclusion of his N.C. State trip, and JUCO Junction will keep you posted should anything break.