2024 Commit Billy Richmond Has NCAA Title Aspirations at Kentucky: 'I Just Want to Win'

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2024 Kentucky commit Billy Richmond has seen what his former high school teammates DJ Wagner and Aaron Bradshaw have been able to do in their first season in Lexington. Now, the four-star forward is ready to make an impact of his own.

The 6-foot-6, 200-pound small forward from Camden (NJ) told KSR+ that he has a few goals for his time at Kentucky. One of those goals is to win an SEC title, while the other is a little loftier.

“March Madness, I want to win the whole thing,” Richmond said. “That’s about it. We’ll see where everything else falls. I just want to win.”

In an interview with KSR+, Richmond talks about his decision to commit to Kentucky, his senior season, and UK’s 2024 recruiting class. He also touches on the strong family connection that led him to Lexington.

After Committing, Billy Richmond is Just Focused on Basketball

For the past couple of years, Billy Richmond has had to fend off constant questions about where he’ll go to college. Since committing to Kentucky on Dec. 21, he’s been able to focus on his main goal of winning a state championship.

“It made things very easy, just knowing that I made my decision and that I’m comfortable going there,” Richmond said. “It made it easier and put a lot of stress off my back. A lot of people asked where I’m going, so I don’t have to tell people that, and instead just play basketball.”

Richmond, the No. 23 overall prospect in the On3 Industry Ranking, has had a senior year filled with “ups and downs.” He said he’s been more of a leader this season and paying closer attention to the smaller details.

“I’m doing more of the little things and having the ball around me more,” he said. “I feel like my senior year is going great. It’s had a lot of ups and downs, but overall, it’s been good.”

Richmond is best at attacking the rim, as well as getting rebounds and being aggressive. This year, he’s gotten better in the pick-and-roll, as well as developing his basketball IQ.

Kentucky Connections Run Deep

Even before committing to Kentucky, Billy Richmond has always felt a deep connection with the program. First, it was with his father, also Billy Richmond, who played at Memphis under John Calipari. Then, it was his two high school teammates, DJ Wagner and Aaron Bradshaw, who play on Kentucky’s 2023-24 team.

“The deciding factors were that it’s a great basketball program,” Richmond said. “They have a great coaching staff. It’s somewhere I know the coaches could trust me. I’ll be around great teammates where I can go to practice and work hard. It’s a great atmosphere. It’s a family-oriented environment.”

Richmond still talks to Wagner and Bradshaw “from time to time.” The two Cats give him feedback on everything they can.

“They just tell me how their experience is going and how practice is,” he said. “They put in a lot of work down there after practice. I just take it in and prepare myself for next year.”

Given that his father played under Calipari, it hasn’t been hard for Richmond to develop his own connection with the UK head coach. He called it a “great relationship.”

“It’s going to be fun,” Richmond said. “[John Calipari] is a good guy and a down-to-earth person. He didn’t really give me a role, he just said that I have to play hard. He didn’t offer me any minutes. I’m just going to go in and work hard.”

Building a Strong 2024 Recruiting Class

Billy Richmond was the most recent player to commit to Kentucky in the 2024 class. He joins a recruiting class that features five-star forward Jayden Quaintance, four-star guards Boogie Fland and Travis Perry, and four-star center Somto Cyril.

“I’m familiar with all of them and I’ve gotten a chance to speak with everybody,” Richmond said. “Everybody’s got a good vibe and great personalities. I’m just looking forward to seeing how we’ll play together. We’re going to have a lot of fun.”

There’s one other player Richmond is looking to get to join him at Kentucky: Karter Knox. Recently, Knox told KSR+ that he was nearing a decision.

“Karter Knox, that’s my boy,” Richmond said. “We go back to last summer when we were playing against each other all the time. We built a relationship. I’m trying to get him to come to Kentucky. I’m just trying to get him to come there. It would be great if he did.”