Richards may be the X factor

[Wildcats1st]

the one most people haven’t talked about. He is a beast and has improved his ball handling. He will be a starter imo. I know it’s early but he looks ver dominant

 

[bigc45157]

He looked very athletic

 

[akaukswoosh]

I think he gets us to the national championship game if he continues to play hard. Was hoping for improvement and was way more than happy tonight.

 

[IndyCat1995]

Don't want to overreact too much, but IF this is what we are going to see out of Richards from now on then it will be hard to keep him on the bench.

 

[bradscats]

Very nice interview by him after the game as well.

 

[paul.ksr]

Many of us expected an improvement and it looked as so

 

[Wildcats1st]

Don't want to overreact too much, but IF this is what we are going to see out of Richards from now on then it will be hard to keep him on the bench.

Certainly. There a lot of time til our first game. Things can change but he looked like a completely different player today than anytime last season.

 

[WCS15UK]

You

The guy she tells you not to worry about

 

[Orange Soda King]

We need him to play like this. If he does, GAME OVER

 

[Anon1658882690]

Best thing about freshmen.. They turn into sophomores..

 

[Rideordiewildcat]

Looks like we might have our rim protector. Also have to remember he hasn't even played basketball but 3-4 years, was very raw last year.

 

[AnarchoNeoLuddite_rivals]

He has got touch and world class athleticism, just needs seasoning. So many fans here are convinced that who you are as a freshman is who you are as a player, period.

 

[anon_9qtxg60vqzy0y]

EJ Montgomery will be the X factor IMO.

 

[Wildcats1st]

He has got touch and world class athleticism, just needs seasoning. So many fans here are convinced that who you are as a freshman is who you are as a player, period.

Much of fans preseason what if lineups haven’t included much Richards. He’s gonna play a bigger role than many realize. He’s a matchup nightmare for many teams and if he develops his hoops iq the sky is the limit

 

[UKCAT5FAN]

the one most people haven’t talked about. He is a beast and has improved his ball handling. He will be a starter imo. I know it’s early but he looks ver dominant

Nick has the skills but he needs the confidence. I think KJ is the X Factor myself. Can't wait to see what Cal does with him this season. He was trying to dunk on everyone.

 

[BBNinSCar]

Nick has the skills but he needs the confidence. I think KJ is the X Factor myself. Can't wait to see what Cal does with him this season. He was trying to dunk on everyone.

Couldn’t agree more. It’s one exhibition game but KJ looks to be the Alpha dog on this team.

 

[UKCAT5FAN]

Couldn’t agree more. It’s one exhibition game but KJ looks to be the Alpha dog on this team.

He just doesn't give 2 ***** who's in front of him. Kid is alpha all the way. He wont miss those dunks when we get to the season and he is stronger. Love it!!

 

[Drcats2025]

EJ Montgomery will be the X factor IMO.

Yeap. I like Richards, however, let’s not get carried away. He showed promise early last year early against inferior opponents. I still saw a lot of flashes of the old Richards today. I believe Montogomery proves to be the better play, and by January, Richards barely sees the floor.

 

[Cats192]

He looked like an All-American early. Then had

the one most people haven’t talked about. He is a beast and has improved his ball handling. He will be a starter imo. I know it’s early but he looks ver dominant

If he plays like he did tonight, he's the real MVP.

He's got to become consistent.

Last year his hands were awful. He would fumble passes that should have been easy dunks.
Tonight, he caught the ball with ease. 90% of the time, he was going up and making a move without hesitation. Later on in the game, he paused or slowed down just enough and missed what should have just been an easy dunk.

The announcers pointed it out at one point. He, like all of the players, still have room for coaching up. By the end of the year, he's going to be dunking on everybody in America.

 

[Primedfor9]

This board has been really down on Richards and I never got it. He was never thought to be a huge impact player as a freshman, most scouts stated this but said that he's a great prospect who would likely get a lot better.

 

[Mike-D]

He did alright. Had a solid first half. He’s still a step slow on defense. He’s still a step too slow on blocking shots with help defense. I’m assuming he always will be at this point. Same as last year. If he can be reliable on offense, he will contribute. He still looks awkward offensively quite often.

 

[darkshadesofblue]

The most impressive player tonight IMO. Looks very improved.

 

[UKWildcats#8]

I thought this was a Smooth Butters thread when I saw the title.

That said, if Richards is good that puts UK's already stacked front court at a whole 'nother level. You have 4 guys who are all very talented and can bang and do different things. This is a very deep and talented roster on paper, and appeared so tonight as well.

 

[o_Ricky]

"I think Richards is the X factor." "No it's 5-star EJ Montgomry." "I think it's 5-star KJ." "What about 5th year transfer Travis who looked out of place tonight and had 14 rebounds (6 offensive)." "Has anybody mentioned PJ yet that averaged 11 and 6 last year and played half the year with a broken finger?" [laughing]

Remember when we sat around a whole year waiting for Skal to come around because he was the only interior option? This is going to be a fun year.

 

[Wildcats1st]

"I think Richards is the X factor." "No it's 5-star EJ Montgomry." "I think it's 5-star KJ." "What about 5th year transfer Travis who looked out of place tonight and had 14 rebounds (6 offensive)." "Has anybody mentioned PJ yet that averaged 11 and 6 last year and played half the year with a broken finger?" [laughing]

Remember when we sat around a whole year waiting for Skal to come around because he was the only interior option? This is going to be a fun year.

I say Richards bc of all the players on this team it seems to me he has been the most overlooked. If he can hang on to the ball he will be a monster this season. Johnson Reid etc are expected to have a big season.

 

[UK2005_24]

The X factor is Herro!

 

[Soupbean]

If he can be taught to hold his water on defense and jump last he will go from a project to a first rounder it's as simple as that. The guy has all the potential in the world to be a BIG TIME rim protector but none of that will show until he understands how to stay on the ground and stop over reacting at the rim.

This is something every player today struggles with as they all over react to drivers and shooters and I don't think coaches put near enough time emphasizing how to fix this. And fixing this one habit is an absolute game changer.

The rule is whoever leaves their feet first loses. Richards did this at least 10 times last night and every time his man either went by him, got fouled by him, or pump faked and dished to an open man. The one time he jumped last he swatted the ball 10 rows up.

 

[westerncat]

The biggest difference in Richards is he is in his 2nd year at UK !