4-star '24 wing Billy Richmond down to four college choices

Only a couple of days after his father openly criticized Memphis’ NIL efforts, Billy Richmond III is down to just four potential college options.

On3’s Joe Tipton broke the news on Wednesday that Richmond, a four-star class 2024 recruit considered the No. 24 overall prospect in the On3 Industry Ranking, will choose between Kentucky, Alabama, LSU, and, yes, Memphis. The 6-foot-6 wing has taken official visits to three of his four finalists, having stopped at LSU the weekend of Sept. 8, Kentucky the weekend of Sept. 15, and Memphis the weekend of Sept. 29. He’ll take his OV to Alabama the weekend of Oct. 20-22. There is currently no timeline for a decision.

Of note, Richmond’s father, Billy Richmond Jr., played at Memphis under then-head coach John Calipari during the 2002-04 season. Richmond Jr. was critical of the Tigers’ NIL situation earlier this week in a post he made on a Memphis basketball Facebook fan page.

“I am just going to say this. Just because Penny (Hardaway) does not get (Curtis) Givens or (Billy) Richmond does not mean he has lost his mojo,” Billy Richmond Jr. wrote. “You guys are funny and have zero clue… I love the tigers as a former player. Memphis until I die. But this fan base is delusional.”

NEWS: 2024 Top-25 recruit Billy Richmond tells me he’s down to four schools.

Story: https://t.co/adbEVOq3Xi pic.twitter.com/WhIh9KdCfM

— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) October 11, 2023

LSU has come onto the scene later than the rest of the pack for Richmond, but the Tigers made up enough ground to crack his top four. That being said, Kentucky and Memphis have long been considered the frontrunners with Alabama not too far behind. When Richmond spoke with KSR’s Jack Pilgrim in July, he listed UK, Memphis, and Alabama as the three schools pushing for him the hardest.

Alabama: “I like how Alabama plays. A lot of big guards come from there like Brandon Miller. The game style is there for me, and it’s a great coaching staff.”

Kentucky: “You can’t go wrong with Kentucky. Big Blue is one of the best schools in basketball history, and there’s a great coaching staff there.”

Memphis: “It’s my hometown and I have a great relationship with the coaches over there and everything.”

Aside from Calipari’s connection with his father, Richmond carries another significant tie to the Wildcats. Two of his former high school teammates at Camden (NJ) High — DJ Wagner and Aaron Bradshaw — are now freshmen at UK. All three of them played for the same AAU program on the Nike EYBL circuit, the NJ Scholars.