How One Conversation with Patrick Ewing Changed Nick Richards

NBA.com

Before he was Nickembe Mutombo. Before #PickNick signs filled John Calipari’s yard, Nick Richards struggled to find confidence on the basketball court. One phone call changed everything.

“Ringing endorsements from Palmer and McGruff. We #PickNick.” – @UKCoachCalipari

Two years into his Kentucky career, things had not gone according to plan for the former McDonald’s All-American. As his peers passed him by, Richards was filled with turmoil.

To snap the big man out of a funk, Kenny Payne turned to his friend, Worldwide Wes. The confidant of UK’s associate head coach connected Richards with Patrick Ewing. Before Ewing has a National Champion, No. 1 overall pick, 11-time NBA All-Star and member of the Dream Team, he was a kid from Kingston, Jamaica. Like Richards, Ewing did not pick up basketball until he came to America in his early teens.

Richards heard exactly what he needed from Ewing. He recalled the moment with The Athletic’s Kyle Tucker.

“It was sort of shocking, speaking to a basketball legend,” Richards said. “I always knew about him. I always heard about him on the island. His name is not as big as Usain Bolt’s, but he’s still known as one of the best athletes to come out of Jamaica. He told me that basketball is 80 percent mental, so it doesn’t matter how many hours you put in the gym if you aren’t confident. I just tried to get as much knowledge from him as possible — what reads did he make when he was down low, when is it right to take certain shots, what was his life experience like in the NBA — and the best advice he gave me was just to be simple and consistent. Don’t try to do everything. Limit the game as much as possible, figure out what you can do really well and build your game around that.”

The evidence is clear. Richards has improved his posture on the court. Instead of worrying about a bunch of moves, he drop-steps and uses a simple hook shot. By keeping it simple, Richards is making 65.6% of his field goals, the tenth-best field goal percentage in the nation, and averaging 14.5 points and 8.1 rebounds per game.

Physically, Richards always had the tools to compete at a high level. He became mentally equipped to succeed shortly after Ewing helped him rediscover his confidence with one phone call.

Read the rest of the story by checking out Kyle Tucker’s excellent work at The Athletic.