Multiple factors likely kept Will Richard from being recruited by power-conference schools when he was playing at Woodward Academy. But a strong freshman season at Belmont has opened the doors wide for Richard to realize that opportunity, as he has become one of the more sought-after prospects in the transfer portal.
Georgia Tech is in the running.
“I think Will was happy (at Belmont),” Woodward Academy coach Anthony Thomas told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I think Will was thriving, but he probably got the same itch that a lot of other student-athletes have.”
As of Thursday morning, Richard was one of more than 1,200 men’s Division I players in the portal in search of a better opportunity. Not many were positioned better than Richard to have that itch scratched. After he went into the portal March 22, Thomas said it was a “whirlwind, where coaches from all over the country” reached out to him, Richard and Richard’s family to understand his reasons for leaving Belmont and to gauge his possible interest in their school. Besides Tech, other suitors included Stanford, West Virginia, Butler, Ohio State and Creighton. Thomas said that Richard’s top four are Clemson, Florida, Wake Forest and Tech.
In his freshman season at Belmont, Richard earned that interest by averaging 12.1 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.3 steals and earning a spot on the Ohio Valley Conference all-newcomer team. He concluded the year with a season-high 22 points to go with eight rebounds against Vanderbilt in a loss in the NIT.
“I think Will wanted to make it clear that the change was nothing that Belmont did wrong,” Thomas said. “It was all Will’s desire to showcase his talents on a different level, and he’s looking for a program that can develop him into a professional basketball player at some point and a place that can showcase him as a playmaker.”
When Richard was at Woodward Academy, Thomas said that he “absolutely” knew that his guard could play in a power conference.
However, Richard was underrecruited for a few reasons, as Thomas sees it. First, he had limited exposure because the NCAA’s COVID-19 protocols prevented college coaches from watching or visiting prospects in person from March 2020 (just after his junior season at Woodward Academy ended) until June 2021 (well after Richard’s high-school career was over).
Two, when he was a junior at Woodward Academy, he played in the considerable shadow cast not only by Walker Kessler (recently named the Naismith national defensive player of the year at Auburn) but Emory Lanier (now playing at Davidson) and Jacorrei Turner (playing football at Arkansas).
Three, Richard’s game made drastic progress as a senior (he averaged 24.0 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.1 steals and earned all-state honors), but he signed with Belmont in November 2020 before his senior season began.
“I think that, had he waited to commit after his senior year, his recruitment would have looked much different,” Thomas said, specifying that he thought that power-conference schools would have made offers.
To Thomas, Richard stands out not only for his scoring. His work ethic, his rebounding ability and his competitiveness have also been components of his success. Richard was one who put in extra time to develop his game and “was willing to do anything to make sure that the team was successful,” Thomas said.
He showed it at Belmont, too. Richard, 6-foot-5 and 195 pounds, was one of only two freshman guards in Division I to average at least 12 points, six rebounds, one assist and one block, according to sports-reference.com.
The product is a prospect who has the genuine interest of SEC and ACC coaches, including Tech coach Josh Pastner. He is scheduled to make a visit to Tech next week.
For a team that lost 54% of its scoring (mostly from Michael Devoe and Jordan Usher), the Jackets could greatly use Richard.
“I think they’re very high on Will’s ability to score the basketball,” said Thomas, who has spoken with Pastner. “They feel, if given the opportunity to be a playmaker, that he can be successful. and they think he can be an instant contributor.”
Tech should have a shot. Besides offering a bigger stage, Pastner and his staff have shown themselves capable of developing players and should have playing time and shots available. Location should be helpful, also.
“He comes from a great family – very supportive – so having that family close by is certainly a plus for Georgia Tech,” Thomas said. “Great school. He’s a great student, so that’s a great match there.”
To Thomas, the demand for his former guard is the story of hard work being rewarded.
“You’re not going to see Will have a whole lot of Internet, social-media videos of his workouts,” Thomas said. “I just know he gets in the gym and he works. As long as he keeps doing it, he should be able to reach any height that he’d like to.”
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