Top Nine for High-Rising Missouri PF
Prior to this summer, Drew Richards, a 6-foot-10, 230-pound power forward from
Logan-Rogersville High School in Missouri, had really only heard from a few
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schools in his recruiting. But after a fantastic summer and a standout
performance at the AAU Nationals, a whole host of schools have tried to get
involved, and the offers have been pouring in.
After he returned from summer ball, Richards estimates he received over 30
calls in three days. But now that his phone has partially finished ringing off
the hook, he has started to narrow down things -- somewhat.
"It was crazy for a while there, but it's slowing down a little now," said
Richards. "So we've been knocking it down to nine schools. Creighton,
Minnesota, UCLA, Arkansas, Georgia, Colorado, Texas Tech, Arkansas, SMS
(Southwest Missouri State), and Tulsa."
This list of nine was pared down from a bigger list that included offers from
Marquette, Butler, Utah, South Florida, and others. Oklahoma and Michigan
State had also been involved. Richards, who has been to the Southwest Missouri
State campus many times (Logansville is located 10 miles away from
Springfield), has also taken unofficial visits to Tulsa and Arkansas, and is
working on possibly setting up an official visit with the Razorbacks again.
It's all been a challenging process for Richards, who simply wants to make the
most educated decision on the right program for him. While selecting the right
school will take some time, there is one thing he is sure of.
"I know I want to commit early and sign in November," said Richards.
Richards' head coach at Logan-Rogersville, Rod Gorman, feels that one thing
that will help Richards narrow things down further will be the in-home visits
from coaches - a few of which have already been set up (SMS on September 9,
Texas Tech on September 10, Minnesota on September 11, and then Creighton,
UCLA, and Tulsa the following week).
"He's probably going to have more in-home visits than the usual guy," said
Gorman. "He'll base his official visits on how those go. That really should
be a good idea for him to do."
Coming from a smaller community (Logansville's population is less than two
thousand), you might think that Richards might want to stay close to home. Not
so.
"Location is not a factor in the decision," said Richards. But he did break
down what will be factors. "If I like the campus, if I have a good
relationship with the coach and the coaching staff, the academics at the
school, and the facilities."
Richards, an excellent student with a 3.4 GPA and a 22 ACT score, also noted
that the type of teams and schedule the school plays will also make a
difference.
"I want to play where there's a happy medium in who they play," said Richards.
"I want to play against good teams but at the same time, I don't want to play
against a seven-footer every night."
We asked Richards to comment on a random sampling of the schools in his final
nine (these are by no means his current leaders).
On Creighton:
"I like Coach Altman, he's a good guy," said Richards. "It's a good program
and they play a good schedule. He's going to be there for awhile too."
On SMS:
"I like them because they've been there since my sophomore year," said
Richards. "That puts a soft spot for them with me. I know the coaches really
well, I talk to Coach Hinson a lot."
On Texas Tech:
"Bobby Knight has been the man for quite a while," said Richards. "I just want
to see if we mesh and get along. His record speaks for itself. He's also the
type of guy that will set you up for life."
On Tulsa:
"I like Tulsa, I like Bill Phillips," said Richards. "He's a down-to-earth
kind of guy. They have nice facilities and education is a big deal there too.
I like their schedule. It has good range."
On UCLA:
"They told me that they were rebuilding the program to like how they used to
be," said Richards. "They said they need some power forwards. When they come
in for a home visit I'll meet them to see what they are all about."
The school that eventually lands Richards will be getting one of top rising
players this summer. One thing particularly attractive about him to colleges
has been his level of development over the past few years - and his continued
room for growth, skill-wise and physically. Gorman described his star player's
development on the varsity squad the past three seasons.
"He's progressed since he was a freshman," said Gorman. "He was a 6-foot-4,
200-pound, I don't want to say pudgy, but had body fat freshman who had
potential. As a sophomore, he was 6-foot-7 and was a little more athletic. As
a junior, he was 6-foot-9 and was the go-to-guy on our team. He had developed
into a post player, and got more athletic from his sophomore to his junior
year."
Solid underneath, Richards knows how to score around the basket and isn't
afraid to get down-and-dirty in the lane.
"He'll go down into the post as much as you want him to," said Gorman. "He'll
fight for position, make baskets, and grab rebounds."
But Richards isn't just chained down in the paint. With the Springfield Heat
AAU program, he started to diversify his game.
"This summer he really worked hard on developing a more complete game," said
Gorman. "He can now make outside shots and is more of a complete player."
"In college, he'll be able to score in the post," Gorman added. "But he can
also shoot the 15 footer. He's also a pretty good shot-blocker because of
timing."
According to Gorman, he would like to see his big man improve his lateral
quickness and his ability to get off the floor more quickly. But in general,
he feels his big man is the type of kid who's ready for the next level.
"It wouldn't matter what school he decides to go to, he can go in and play,"
said Gorman. ""He doesn't wow you that much during the game, but at the end he
has more points, more rebounds, and his team is ahead. He maximizes his
potential from his ability. He'll play his butt off and play defense and score
some points. Who wouldn't want a 6-foot-10 guy who could do all that?"
Jed Tai is a senior writer with Hoopville.com