Richards Has 4 Schools But 5th Likely
It hasn't been easy, but Drew Richards has started to narrow things down. The
6-foot-10, 230-pound power forward from Logan-Rogersville High School in
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Missouri has eliminated several schools from his list, will host some in-home
visits, and has scheduled his first official visit.
"I'm down to four schools," said Richards. "Texas Tech, Arkansas, Tulsa, and
SMS (Southwest Missouri State). But I'm still looking for that fifth school.
Iowa State, Indiana, UCLA, and Georgia are there. I'm leaving it open."
Indiana is one school that's gotten into the game just recently - and it's
definitely a school Richards is interested in.
"We just started talking to Indiana," said Richards. "Coach Fitzpatrick called
me 4-5 days ago and I tried calling him back today but he was off-campus.
Coach Davis is a great coach – he’s come in and did an awesome job. It's
Indiana basketball, so you have to consider them."
All the schools in Richards’ top four will be coming to his home for an
in-house visit over the next two weeks. Iowa State is also coming in and UCLA
is scheduled for the 24th, but the Richards family is trying to get that date
moved up. Richards has also set his first official visit for Arkansas, and
will travel to Fayetteville on September 19th. He is looking at scheduling
official visits to his other top three schools and could use all five of his
allowed trips.
"I'm going to try," said Richards. "Everyone says they'll take all five and
they end up taking two-and-a-half. But I'm going to try."
Richards would not confirm there was a leader in the process.
"Right now it's an all-level playing field," he said.
Previously, Richards' list was quite extensive. One thing that has helped him
and his family narrow things down has been a study of each school's roster.
"We made sure there's a need for a four spot at these schools," said Richards.
"The four schools I mentioned earlier all have a need, and I know Iowa State
and Indiana have one since they called, and Georgia and UCLA are looking for a
four too. We usually look at the depth charts to see if they need one."
Richards maintains that he will sign in the early signing period.
"Hopefully I'll make a decision by the last of October or early November," he
said.
Be sure to stay tuned to RivalsHoops.com for the latest on Richards and his
decision.
Jed Tai is a senior writer with Hoopville.com