Few players in the country will ✅enter the college basketb🧸all season with a bigger spotlight.
Few will𝓀 face the kind of pressure that will follow Kad🌊ary Richmond.
When the 6-foot-6 lead guard transferred from Seton Hall to St. John’s, leaving one rival to join another, he ensured there would be a bull’s-eye on his back. That he left himself open to𓄧 criticism and scrutiny.
He doesn’t seem concerned. Bring it on.
“It’s going to be like last year basically, but probably just a focal point of more♏ things,” the Brooklyn native said on Tuesday. “I’m looking forward to it.”
Richmo൩nd is encouraged by what he has seen so far.
He geꦉts to🎀 play with another point guard, Utah transfer Deivon Smith, who will lessen playmaking r༺espons🎃ibilities on him.
The duo join a returning core of juniors Zuby Ejiofor and RJ Luis and sophomore Simeon Wilcꦉher and Brady Dunlap.
It is a group, according to coach Rick Piti👍no, that is more advanced at this🎃 time than his first St. John’s team.
Deeper, more athletic and longer. Pitino believes he has three starters in Richmond, Ejiofor and Wilchಞer, and plenty of options for the other two spots.
There is ๊confidence this could be the year the Johnnies snap their NCAA Tournament victory drought, which 𝓀dates back to 2000.
“That’s the goal. There is no other goal. There’s nothing else,” ▨Wilcher said. “Not only making it, we want to go there and dance, and have a series of winning [games].”
Said Richmo🙈nd: “We could go deep into March, play into Ap🍌ril. I would say that.”
Richmond is obviously a big part of that.
He is projected to be one of the best players in the Big East after being named as an all-leagu🤡e first-team selection a season ago.
Last winter, he led Seton Hall to a surprising fourth-place finish in the Big East and an NIT title, averaging 15.7ไ points, 7.0 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 2.2 steals.
After weighing his options foll🦄owing his third season at S🐼eton Hall, he decided to move on.
“I got too comfort𒅌able where I was and I wanted to challenge myself, so 🌠that’s what led to this,” Richmond said.
He visited St. John’s and Oklahꦓoma before joining Pitino.
A big part of that choice was 🐈the Hall of Fame coach’s history of player development.
The two t🐬alked about Pitino helping other 🐻players change their jump shot, like Cavaliers All-Star Donovan Mitchell. It is the one missing piece in Richmond’s game if he wants to have an NBA career.
He h🍃as never attempted more than 1.8 3-pointers per game in a single season.
Since Richmond’s arrival this summer, the 🐼two have tweak🦹ed it.
Richmond has gotten rid of a hitch in his shot, making it more fluid. He is getting more com♔fortable taking 3-pointers, but he still passes them up at times.
Pitino doesn’t let that stand.
“Practice stops,” Richmond said with a smile.
He added: “I feel better about it, letting 🐎it go. I’d say that’s the biggest thing.”
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So far, it has be🍬en a relatively seamless transition. Pitino has raved about Richmond’s prac🐷tice habits.
A narrative had followed him dating back to freshman year at Syracuse that he didn’t always bring eno𒀰ugh effort on a consistent basis.
Asked about that, Richmond attributed it to immaturity earlier in his career. He’s very different n꧟ow than h🧔e was then.
“I put it on myself at that age,” Richmond said.
Perhaps most importantly, Rich💫mond has the respect of his new tea𒀰mmates.
He was vo𓆉ted one of two captains, along with Ejiofor.💫
He is more vocal tha⛎n expected, not afraid to speak up whe𒐪n the time calls for it.
“When he talks, the team listens, everybody tunes in,” Wilcherཧ said.
“He’s going to be great, he’s going to have a great year,” Wilcher went on. “And as he has t༺his great year, you’re not going to be able to talk about the whole big rivalry ܫthing and him switching schools. You’re just going to talk about what he’s doing in the present.
“I believe in him, I got confidence in him. He’s been doing eve🦋rything to prove he’s going to have a great year.”
