“He’s really playing well and he’s playing
confi dent and, obviously, the expectation is
this is his time,” he said. “He, right now, what
he’s doing on the court and how he’s playing,
whether he goes against EJ (Montgomery),
whether he goes against Nate (Sestina),
scoring around the basket, shooting the
ball better, running, he’s in the best shape
I’ve seen him in.”
Calipari hopes Richards can sustain
the improvement once the season
begins and the Kentucky coach
added, “there’s no one rooting for
him more than me.” As a testament
of his potential, Richards collected
19 rebounds in a win over Southern
Illinois last season.
“You got to get on the court, and now
you’re playing against a player that’s a
football player that’s trying to just say,
I know I can’t play you, I’m going to try
to rough you up,” Calipari said. “Can you
hold your ground? Can you sustain your confi dence
in that kind of situation? Until we start playing games,
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