Mitch Richmond thrilled the folks back home when he signed his major college letter-of-intent.
“I told everybody I was going to K-State. They said, ‘Are you gonna play with Danny Manning?’ I said, ‘No, that’s Kansas,'” grinned the smooth-shooting Fort Lauderdale, Fla., native, signed by Kansas State after a two-year stint at Moberly (Mo.) Community College.
Richmond, good-natured guy that he is, wasn’t offended by his friends’ ignorant remarks. He knows first-hand both KU and K-State are well-kept secrets in the Sunshine State.
To wit…had Mitch heard of Kansas State when growing up?
“No,” said the senior forward, who brings a 22.8 scoring average into Saturday’s 3:10 p.m. battle against KU at Allen Fieldhouse.
What about the state of Kansas?
“No,” he replied.
Richmond’s improved his knowledge of geography since entering college. Mitch knows Kansas and Kansas sure knows Mitch. After all, the 6-5, 215-pounder made an instant impact in the Big Eight as a junior. He averaged 19.6 points and 5.7 rebounds, emerging as a real force during the NCAA tournament.
Richmond scored 34 points in a first-round win over Georgia and followed that with a 19-point effort in KSU’s season-ending loss to UNLV.
Despite those efforts, Richmond wasn’t invited to play for any U.S. national teams last summer. Until coach Lonnie Kruger took over as Richmond’s unofficial P.R. director.
Kruger worked to get Mitch a spot on the U.S. World University Games team that traveled to Yugoslavia. Richmond was the second-leading scorer at 16.2 points for the silver medalists.
“I had a good summer,” said Richmond. “We had eight games and I started six. The food was terrible. The basketball was good.”
Richmond insists he wasn’t upset at a snub by Pan Am Games officials. KU’s Danny Manning played for that prestigious team.
“You can get all upset about those things. I let it blow away,” said Richmond.
Richmond’s still not a household name, but he’s gaining national respect. The former high school phenom who once scored 50 points with eight dunks in a single game his senior year at Boyd Anderson High, is targeted as a probably first-round NBA pick.
“Mitch Richmond is just very good,” praised Kruger. “He has a lot of responsibility. HE’s the type of player that can go get a basket. He makes players around him better. He’s becoming an excellent leader who is now getting the national attention he deserves.”
