British big man Ryan Richards hope to make
it to the NBA. (Photo: Sherron Shabazz)
Not many people have heard the name Ryan Richards in the States. I was first introduced to Richards at the 2010 NBA Draft Combine and found him to be quite the gentleman.
Richards, from London, England stands 6'10 and weighs 230 lbs. He is left handed and has a 7-foot-1 and a half wingspan.
At just 19 years old Ryan Richards is ready to make that jump to the NBA. After playing last season in Switzerland he no longer wants to play in Europe.
In casual conversation Richards emphatically stated that if he was going to be drafted and sent back to Europe to develop that he was withdrawing his name from Draft.
The NBA is his dream.
SS: Did you workout today?
Ryan Richards: Yeah, I just finished.
SS: Who did you workout for?
Ryan Richards: It was a pre-draft workout. A bunch of guys were there and maybe 50-60 scouts.
SS: So you didn't workout for any specific teams?
Ryan Richards: Every team had a representative there.
SS: Do you have an idea about the teams you're going to workout for in the future?
Ryan Richards: I've worked out with Detroit, Chicago, Minnesota, San Antonio, Toronto, and Memphis.
SS: What's your impression of the city of Chicago?
Ryan Richards: It's real nice, real nice. The weather is pretty similar to back home in England.
SS: You're from London right?
Ryan Richards: Yeah, yeah. It's pretty similar. It's a nice city.
SS: How does it compare to London?
Ryan Richards: I think London has a bit of an edge but it is nice.
SS: What's the edge? The edge is that it's home right?
Ryan Richards: [Laughs] Exactly.
SS: Who did you workout against?
Ryan Richards: I'm not all that familiar with their names because I'm overseas and these guys are in college but in Detroit I worked out against Jeremy Evans. I worked out with Eric [Bledsoe] the back up guard for John Wall in Kentucky. I worked out with quite a few guys. I'm not familiar with their names. That was my first two workouts. Hopefully I get a bunch more.
SS: What made you want to make the jump to the NBA.
Ryan Richards: It's my goal in life, I'm eligible, and I'm ready to do it--I want to give it a shot.
SS: What part of your game needs the most improvement?
Ryan Richards: I need to improve on my strength and game experience, that's it.
SS: What's the strongest part of your game?
Ryan Richards: I'd say being able to play inside out. My face up game, my jump shot from 17 feet, and taking the ball off the dribble are the strongest parts of my game.
SS: How many jumpers do you get up in a day?
Ryan Richards: Probably 100 or 120 in a day.
SS: Is there a current NBA player that your game resembles?
Ryan Richards: Not really. I like Chris Bosh's game a lot. I also like Lamar Odom. I like their style of game. I watch Chris Bosh a lot and his face up game. I try to work on that a lot. I wouldn't really say there's an NBA player that my game is like. I'd possibly say Chris Bosh with a little bit of Lamar Odom.
SS: Growing up in London did you have a favorite NBA team or player?
Ryan Richards: Not really. Kobe Bryant was everybody's favorite with the Lakers. Everyone knew about them and Michael Jordan obviously. I liked Kevin Garnett a lot as I was growing up. In England the games are always on at 2 A.M. and 3 A.M. so it's pretty tough to watch them.
SS: Who do you have in the World Cup?
Ryan Richards: England [laughs].
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