IlliniHQ.com
Q&A: D.J. Richardson
Wednesday November 12, 2008
The News-Gazette
D.J. Richardson
D.J. Richardson
6-2, Guard, (Las Vegas) Findlay Prep
Rated No. 57 by Rivals.com and No. 66 by Scout.com, Richardson averaged 18 points and six rebounds as a junior at Peoria Central
D.J. Richardson is the Dee Brown of Illinois' 2009 recruiting class: all personality, with a knack for leading. He helped convince Joseph Bertrand to commit to Illinois, and roomed with Brandon Paul at an AAU tournament in July. Academic concerns forced a move to Findlay Prep in the Las Vegas area, or the Peoria product would be the state's No. 1 2009 prospect. Beat writer Paul Klee caught up with Richardson on Monday.
How's Vegas?
D.J. Richardson: "It's great. I love it out here. Our first game is Friday in Michigan. Most of our away games will be out of state. We'll travel a lot. Everybody on our team is improving all their weaknesses. We're coming together, I can see it."
Let's talk Peoria. Many of the better players from Peoria have gone to Illinois.
DR: "There was a lot of pressure at first. I used to hear a lot of people talk about how I was supposed to be the next-best-thing out of Peoria. I basically did what A.J. Guyton and Frank Williams did, when they came out of Peoria. They just stayed humbled and kept working."
Who was your guy from Peoria?
DR: "My favorite was Shaun Livingston. I was the ballboy when Shaun Livingston was playing. I loved watching him. I used to work out with him. He used to live across the street and two or three houses down from me when I was younger. That's why I really looked up to Shaun Livingston."
Is there more pressure as a top player in Peoria than you might see other in cities?
DR: "I think basketball in Peoria is very important. You don't want just one city just producing basketball players. You have a lot of good players coming out of Chicago, but you also have a lot of good players coming out of Peoria. It's very important to have players in central Illinois being good in basketball, too."
You remember the scenario when Bruce Weber offered you a scholarship?
DR: "When I first got offered a scholarship by the University of Illinois, I had the biggest smile on my face. They were just coming off a great (Big Ten) championship and Jamar Smith was just putting on the uniform. I followed them a lot after that. I watched Jamar a lot. I followed Jamar in high school and middle school and when he was younger. That was another great reason why I chose Illinois. They were a school that was on me from the beginning."
With that in mind, what was your reaction to Jamar Smith having to leave Illinois?
DR: "It was pretty tough for me. After I heard about it, I waited about two days to let it cool down. Jamar had texted me and said everything was going okay. It was pretty hard, though, because he was another main reason I wanted to go to Illinois. I wanted to play with him in college. It never happened. It was pretty sad."
Have you kept in touch with Jamar?
DR: "I talked to him like three weeks ago. He said he was down in Southern Indiana. I just told him to keep working hard. He told me to keep working hard out here. I think he's still got a chance to be successful and play in the NBA or go overseas."
Two other Peoria guys - Wayne McClain and Jerrance Howard - have known you for a while.
DR: "Yeah, they have. But I want to start with coach (Bruce) Weber first. I have a great relationship with coach Weber. When college coaches get one (phone) call to call recruits, it's always coach Weber that calls me. We talk about stuff on the court. We talk about stuff off the court. We talk about his team this year, his team last year. I really like talking to coach Weber."
And Wayne McClain and Jerrance Howard?
DR: "Then with McClain, we talk about his old (Peoria) Manual ties and other Peoria stuff. He produces defense. That's what I saw him produce coaching at Peoria Manual. Then coach Howard, he's the closest coach that I've ever had. You can talk to him as a coach, but you can talk to him as a friend, too. I know that he'll make sure I'll do something with my future. I know that he will always be behind me. Coach Weber and coach McClain, too."
You told me before the McDonald's All-American game is a goal.
DR: "I achieved most of my high school goals, but I still have two that I need to accomplish. One of those goals is to make the McDonald's All-American game. The other one is to win a high school championship."
What can this recruiting class accomplish at Illinois?
DR: "We've got a great chance of winning the Big Ten title. I think we've got a chance. Demetri and those guys have been there. That will help. And I believe that we can make the (NCAA) tournament. I believe that we can go on a run to the Final Four."
How would you describe your relationship with Joe (Bertrand) and Brandon Paul?
DR: "Before any of us committed, me and Joe were talking on Myspace. I asked him out of the blue: 'What school do you want to go to?' He said, 'I really don't know yet.' I asked him what he liked about Illinois, Wisconsin, all the schools that had offered him. I told him that I'm probably going to commit (to Illinois) in like two or three days. It would be good if you committed with me. Then he called me and we started talking. I told him that if we get three guards, we can be the next Dee, Deron and Luther. He believed me."
And Brandon Paul?
DR: "A big part of our relationship was when we went to Peach Jam (an AAU tournament in July)."
Yeah, you guys went to Hooters.
DR: "Yeah, we did go to Hooters. I think we were down there for five days, and we went to Hooters three of those days. Coach Larry Butler, he put us in the same hotel room. So we gained a lot of chemistry when we were staying together."
What stands out to me is that you want to play defense. Not everybody does.
DR: "A lot of shooting guards, they want to put up shots and shoot jumpshots. I want to get my teammates involved. Everybody's always focused in on me - 'D.J., D.J., D.J.' - but my teammates used to score because I got them involved. That's really what I believe in - getting my teammates involved."
What number will you wear at Illinois?
DR: "The original number I wanted was No. 32. But Meechie (Demetri McCamey) has that number, so I chose No. 1. No. 23 was taken; that's a great number. I was going to get No. 5. But then I was thinking that all the numbers I wanted to have, they were the numbers that great Illini players have worn before. I played in No. 11 (Dee Brown) in sixth grade through eighth grade. My fifth-grade year I had No. 5. That was Deron Williams' number. I didn't want to take after him. That's his number. The numbers that they have in the Eastbay book or online (magazines), it would be easy to have the No. 1 jersey. So I thought I would have No. 1."
-Paul Klee
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