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Waukegan's Jereme Richmond wasn't named to the Sun-Times' All-Chicago Area basketball team.
A lot of people are upset because they can't understand why one of the nation's top-rated sophomores, arguably the best player in Illinois regardless of class, a player who already is committed to the University of Illinois, wasn't included among the top 20 in the city and suburbs.
I didn't have a vote. But if I did, I would have done exactly what the panel of judges that selected the team did. They benched Richmond.
He is the poster child for what is wrong with high school basketball today, a spoiled brat who thinks the game is all about scoring and shooting and dunking and styling. Is basketball a T-E-A-M game or what?
Richmond has been reading his press clippings and you can blame the media for that. Who can say who the best freshman or sophomore in the country is? Who has seen them all? And even if Bob Gibbons or Van Coleman have seen everybody from Florida to California, does it really matter?
Is Richmond as good as Quinn Buckner was as a sophomore? As good as Ronnie Fields? Glen Grunwald? Roger Powell? George Wilson?
If he is one of the two or three best sophomores in the nation, as most recruiting analysts are projecting, does that mean the 15-year-old will be as good as a senior as Cazzie Russell? Kevin Garnett? Isiah Thomas? Bobby Joe Mason? Tommy Hawkins? Jamie Brandon? Deon Thomas? Marcus Liberty?
I can't recall any stories about those players being benched or dismissed from their teams for arguing with their coach over how many touches they got in a game or why the offense wasn't revolving around them or why they hadn't been interviewed by ESPN.
Here's a kid who started with good intentions, as a student at prestigious and academic-minded North Shore Country Day in Winnetka. But somebody whispered sweet nothings in his ear, about why he should go to school in hometown Waukegan where he could play against better competition from week to week, and he began spinning on the AAU merry-go-round.
Now he might be headed for his third high school in three years. That's a red flag for any college coach. Richmond has two years of eligibility remaining in high school and already he has earned a reputation as a malcontent, an ego-driven youngster who thinks only of himself. The NBA is full of those characters.
Let's hope he looks in a mirror, stops listening to those outside demons, keeps his mouth shut, listens to his coach and begins to play the game as it was meant to be played, as a team sport. Talent isn't his problem, his ego is.
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Evidence for your indictment? Nice rush to judgment. Way to tell both sides of the stories in a fair and balanced manner.
Taylor,
Pretty uncalled for. I agree that some of the things going on with Richmond are ridiculous, and he needs to straighten up his attitude a little. The kid, and I repeat 'the kid', has some growing up to do, but to call him names is a little childish yourself, I would think you would hold yourself to a higher standard...as an adult.
As usual, you are seeking attention....Much moreso than what a high school sophomore is doing. Why do you think Garnett transferred? Pick a year, and I will show you numerous highly touted players that transfer. The situation in Waukegan was a mess, and everyone there deserves blame. Leave it to you to call out a sophomore in high school?
Taylor Bell---one thing you have this wrong:
Jereme Richmond is way way overrated. He's a 6'6 post player with nice athleticism. He's had very limited skill development his first two years in high school.
As an Illini fan, I'm more worried about the talent that this kid hasnst developed than his chemistry issues. All in all, it looks bad now but maybe he can rebound.
The actions speak for themselves. There is NO EXCUSE for fighting with teammates or arguing with a coach. As my favorite coach says, "He has to learn to listen, he has to learn to be coachable..."
Taylor
Jereme Richmond is a product of a much larger environment than what happens on the court. This young man is going through some personal challenges that would have an emotional effect on most of us. Since he is 15 or 16 years old maybe you should take that into account before you start attributing his behavior to a stereotypic description of an over-indulged athlete. It's easy to be critical of what you see on the outside without having any information about what other aspects of this kids life is like.
It's a shame the kid has to act this way, hopefully for him he get his act together. I'll be surprised if the kid ever ends up at UIUC. If he keeps progressing, he'll most likely sign with a bigtime program instead.
I'm not sure what the problem is. With his attitude problems he should fit right in with Bruce Webers Illini team.
Lighten up. He's a teenager with nothing more than teenage issues. I've seen him since he's young. And he's a good kid from a good family. The fussing over him -- good and bad -- is a bit much. I know he will get grounded and grow up.
JR is good not great and his behavior is not acceptable no matter what - period.
I too worry about a player who will be at his third high school in three years. Sounds like he doesn't want to be coached. The lad is going to have to learn how to check his ego at the door until he proves that he can carry a team ala Michael Jordan.
Hi here you go again not doing your homework. You did the same thing a few years ago with Todd Townsend at New Trier. I talked to you then and told you that you are not looking at the big picture. Guess what Todd is an assistant coach at Northeastern University in Boston. Well I also know Jereme through his older brother Bill. The problem with Jereme is he is a kid that wants to win badly. Maybe more than most. Yes he's wrong that he should listen to his coach and also handle things differently. BuT HE IS A 15 YEAR OLD KID. He is not an adult yet as most people want him to hurry up and be. Also he is an unselfish player who does his best work with the ball in his hands. In Waukegan's offense he looked like a 6'6 post player. His game is more than that by a long shot. He can handle the ball, has good vision on the floor, and can slash to the hole. In addition he blocks shots and rebounds very well for his position. He is not overrated at all. The only real thing he has to work on is his perimeter shooting which is not bad. OH ALSO HE HELD IMAN SHUMPERT MCDONALDS ALL AMERICAN TO SIX POINTS!!!!!! In saying all that he needs to work on his attitude a little bit but what sophmore doesnt these days. Let him mature naturally and see what kind of player he ends up. And Taylor you are a good sportswriter but once again you need to do your homework and stop throwing Jereme off the bus.
Outstanding blog.
It's called tell it the way it is. It's OK to praise a player, but when someone nails that same kid...it's uncalled for - after numerous incidents? What are you people thinking?
Do any of you people realize how many players Taylor Bell has covered over the years? If there's anyone who has the right to speak like this it's Taylor Bell.
Richmond - you have time. Grow up. And God, I hope Richmond's parents look in the mirror, too.
And also Scott...why did Garnett transfer? There was a huge racial fight that broke at his South Carolina high school his junior year, and he was dragged into it.
Don't believe me? Watch SportsCentury's piece on Garnett.
Get your facts straight before you call someone out for writing the truth.
Obviously JR needs to develop but I fear that you were a little harsh and unfair. If I'm the best player on the court, we're losing games, and I'm only getting 10-12 shots a game I'm ticked off as well.
Furthermore, I went to High School with a guy who was hyped almost as much as Jereme. His sophomore year he got kicked out of practices and almost got kicked off the team. There were special meetings between the player, the coach, and his mother. There was tension, frustration, and anger. Fortunately this team was winning and ranked in the top 5 in the state. If they weren't winning games I have no doubt he would have quit or coach would have kicked him off permanently. In the end this guy became a MDAA, was Mr. Basketball, and is generally regarded as one of the top HS players in the history of the state. The moral of the story... it's ok to be concerned and if this pattern continues through high school then rip him. But until then, lighten up and give the kid a chance to grow up.
Lack of respect for your coach is a character flaw in a youngster that can be corrected. Excusing the flaw "because he's a kid" or "because he really, really wants to win" won't assist in the process. Taylor Bell calling the flaw out may do so.
Mr. Taylor Bell has been reporting on Chicago High School basketball stars for a long time. He's merely telling young Jereme Richmond the same thing he would tell Darius Clemons, Ricky Green, Ronnie Lester, Ray Collins, and many other celebrated high school stars he's come in contact with over the years. His last paragraph summarizes his meaning for writing this article. "Let's hope he looks in a mirror, stops listening to those outside demons, keeps his mouth shut, listens to his coach and begins to play the game as it was meant to be played, as a team sport. Talent isn't his problem, his ego is".
A coach can coach? The best coachs are the ones that either played the game or afficiated it, and this coach has neither. I need to try to understand, how the school board approved the employment of a rookie Basketball coach that has made this immature and embarrassing decision (for the school) besides not having the experience. As far as I can see he obviously doesn’t have the qualities and skills to communicate with the kids. When you come out of a yuppie prep school of 450 students to a school with a large majority of multi cultural minority students of 4200 you need to be ready. Especially when you have a #1 Ranked player which by the way Waukegan and this coach hasn’t had., Then you also have a new A.D. that got this coach the job of his life time and approves the rookie’s coach decision??? Do any of these people know what there doing or where there at? This isn’t any yuppie school there used to coming from. A good portion of these kids are brought up in a totally different atmosphere some tougher than others. Some would even look up to a coach as a father figure, for which a coach with experience would know how to accomplish this special respect from there athletics. It's a shame when a school AD and coach let its kids down. I'm sure Richmond was just trying to express to his coach how to make the right decisions when needed and the coach being what he is took it offensive instead of listening to a kid that has played for a while. What should happen is for Richmond to stay in WHS and the coach to go back and get more sociological and student psychology beside BB training! Now do you think they would have lost against Highland Park HS last week by 1 point if Richmond was there??
Taylor,
You have really gone over the edge with your comments about Jereme’ Richmond. It was uncalled for to call him “…the poster child for what is wrong with high school basketball today” and a “spoiled brat” when you can’t back that up at all. As a matter of fact you couldn’t be further from the truth regarding the young man. Jereme is one of the most unselfish players on his T-E-A-M. He wants the ball when he is in position to score. In a recent game at Maine East Jereme ran the point. He recorded 17 points 13 rebounds and an impressive 9 assist. Pretty unselfish player Taylor. Wouldn’t you get a little frustrated if you were the teams leading scorer and rebounder and you didn’t get the ball when you know you’re open? I thought the selection committee was a little hard on him considering he led the entire county as the only player to average a double, double, played out of position and lacked proper coaching. The 1st assistant coach’s experience is that he’s the Varsity Girls Golf coach. Not a basketball mind at all. As anyone that watches basketball knows, some players are a little more emotional than others. The coaches’ job is to harness that emotion and learn to funnel it into positive energy. Mr. Ashlaw does not relate well with his T-E-A-M. and never will have the ability to pull the best out of his players. He never complains about how many touches he gets and I’ve never read or heard anyone say that Jereme wanted the offense to revolve around him. But let’s touch that topic a little. HE’S THE NUMBER 2 PLAYER IN THE NATION TAYLOR! Why wouldn’t the offense at least feature him? Are you now getting a basic understanding regarding the “KIDS” frustration? He just wants to get the ball after fighting off the usual triple team to get open. He’s 15 and to compare him to the names you threw out should be a compliment to his ability yet in still you disregarded him and have written him off as some sort of problem child. Shame on you TAYLOR!
“He is the poster child for what is wrong with high school basketball today”…….ARE YOU SERIOUS? That’s rather harsh. “A spoiled brat…. who thinks the game is all about scoring and shooting and dunking and styling.”
The object of the game is to shoot and score Taylor and the dunk just happens to be one of the shots Jereme is capable of taking and making and usually off of a missed shot. Just thought I’d inform you of that little fact. He does have style also but not to his discredit, it’s just the way he is. I’ll pass your compliment along.
One more thing that I can’t say I’ve ever read. Where has his coach ever stepped up and protected his STAR PLAYER in all of this. He’s a bus driving man that hid behind a 15 year old KID! Most of the top programs have trouble in the locker room but it stays there most times. Putting a KID in front of the issue is not a good sign of a solid coaching approach or a program on the rise.
I don’t want to end my post without agreeing that Young Mr. Richmond needs to check his temper at the door, but that’s not all he needs to check. He needs to check into a better school/basketball system that will help him get back the lost time he spent under Ron Ashlaw and his self serving system. He (The coach) may not know how to be a winner. Look at his coaching record. He’s a solid loser. Jereme will!
I forgot to address the Snub Young Mr. Richmond received from the Sun-times and Taylor Bell. How can you not acknowledge this young mans game? Taylor, you even admitted that he's the best in the state regardless of class. His issue with the coach was handled in whatever way the school deemed correct. Why are you people punishing him again? He earned his respect on the floor from every team that stacked a triple team against him. He was the only player that averaged a double-double in the entire county. He held a MDAA to six points and five rebounds whiled he scored 17 and grabed 13 boards. Furthermore are you all so naive to think that none of the players on the Sun-Times All Chicago Area team had any problems with a coach or a team member? I hope not. Jereme is a high profile player that has been under the microscope since his commitment. You all may regret this snub one day. If I were him, I give you the snub in the future. Turnabout is FAIR-PLAY!
I've seen this kid playand he is loaded with offensive talent, no doubt. But I watched him thrice this year on defense and he rarely hustled back on D the way you might expect a top player in the country would. I saw a lot of other sophs I'd much rather have on a team, some of them still on the soph teams. As for his off the court stuff, he is still only 15. Give him some room.
BObby and R.W.,
How do you feel now?
"He was good. I think he was in the top half of the group," Bruce Weber said from San Antonio. "I think one of the things that’s going to be great for him is (that) he’s played inside a lot in high school. He was a big guy."