Nick Richards has added offers from Kentucky, Indiana, SMU and VCU, sources told SNY.tv.
The 6-foot-10 2017 big man from Elizabeth (N.J.) St. Patrick and Expressions Elite recently added offers from Syracuse, Kansas and UCLA.
Kentucky, in particular, has done well with St. Pat’s products, landing both Dakari Johnson and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist out of the program formerly coached by Kevin Boyle, now the Montverde (FL) Academy coach.
“I am happy for Nick who now has another option among the top programs in the nation,” St. Pat’s coach Chris Chavannes told SNY.tv of the Kentucky offer. “However, with the current state of college basketball, the Kentucky offer attests to Nick’s status as one of the more talented players in the country. Nick appears to be taking that skill development “jump” between sophomore and junior year that the program’s most elite players have made in the past, such as Al Harrington, Mike Kidd-Gilchrist and, even though he plays a different position, Kyrie Irving. If he continues to work very hard this summer, there is no reason that he cannot potentially join that elite group in the future.”
A sophomore who transferred in October from St. Mary’s High School on Long Island in order to face “better competition,” Richards has only been playing organized basketball for two years.
“Nick Richards has a tremendous upside with his length, athleticism and vertical and lateral quickness,” Chavannes recently said. “Considering the impact he can have on any game, it is scary when you realize that he has only been playing basketball for a couple of years.”
Richards visited Villanova for their Midnight Madness event in the fall and has also been to Seton Hall. For now, though, he and his family are not emphasizing recruiting all that much.
