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Memo to Jereme Richmond:
You and your Waukegan teammates recently played a game in Ames, Iowa, that was nationally televised live on ESPN. The marquee read: Matchup of Illinois-bound Jereme Richmond, the top-rated player in Illinois, against North Carolina-bound Harrison Barnes, the No. 1 player in the United States.
For high school kids, it doesn't get much better than that.
I couldn't wait to read your Friday diary in the Sun-Times to learn how it feels to compete in that kind of environment.
I'm still waiting.
What a disappointment.
Instead, ad nausea, I was subjected to another weekly rendition of what team you played against last week and what team you'll play this week.
What a golden opportunity you are missing.
By most accounts, you are an intelligent, fast maturing and talented high school senior who has worked hard to master the skills and techniques of the game of basketball...shooting, ball-handling, passing, rebounding, defending, team play. The only criticism seems to be that you have a tendency not to play hard all the time, a deficiency that Illinois coach Bruce Weber almost certainly will correct.
But, if you are moving on to the college level and perhaps to the NBA, you have to learn how to master the media, too. As sports editor John Justin Smith said when he hired him to cover high school sports for the old Chicago Daily News in 1968: "Make them walk and talk." In other words, who are they and what do they think?
Jereme, your weekly diary gives you an opportunity to tell people in Illini Nation and elsewhere who you are, what you think, your goals, where you've been and where you're going. If you weren't who you are, the top-rated player in Illinois, you wouldn't have been asked to do the diary. So spill your guts. Skip the travelogue and give everybody an insight into who Jereme Richmond is and why he is somebody we want to read about.
What was your reaction to playing against Harrison Barnes? Is he that good? Is he overrated? What gives him an edge? What did you learn from the experience?
This week, you're playing at the Pontiac Holiday Tournament. Are you aware of the great tradition of the event? What did you learn last year? How important is it to beat Peoria Manual or Simeon? Do you want to make a statement?
How good is this Waukegan team? Last year, you finished second to Whitney Young for the Class 4A championship. But Colin Nickerson, the second best player on the team, graduated. How much of a loss was that? Is this team better? What does it have to do to get to the state final once again?
You are being touted as one of the best players in state history. How important is it for you to achieve that status? How does it feel to be compared to the likes of George Wilson, Cazzie Russell, Quinn Buckner and Isiah Thomas? Do you know very much about the history of high school basketball in Illinois?
What makes a great player? What gives you an edge? How much better can you be? What kind of contribution do you hope to make at Illinois? How excited are you to join Brandon Paul, D.J. Richardson, Meyers Leonard and Crandall Head on coach Bruce Weber's team next year?
These are the kinds of things that people want to know. You have the answers, your opinions, your feelings. Tell them what you think. All of us want to know.
Cell Phone Alerts
There goes Taylor Bell being overly critical of Jereme Richomond again. Dude give it a rest. Where were you when Blackshear and his coached proclaimed him the best basketball player since Naismith created the peach basket?!
Taylor some good points for a change. But you apparently didn't read his first diary. He talked about his family, what his goals are,looking forward to play for Illinois. I guess you can't write an article that is positive about the kid. As I have continuously typed to you just say you don't like the kid and leave it at that. The same stuff you did to Matt Lottich in high school again. What is it you don't like kids from the North Suburbs or something? Or are you biased because you grew up in the South Suburbs and there is some lasting jealousy of the North Suburbs?
Kudos Mr. Bell for giving this kid an opportunity to understand the privilege that he has earned and the responsibility that goes along with it. I am all for encouraging young people to understand the moment they're in and getting the most out of it. I've paid attention the kid and he handles himself well. I hope he understands the intent of the article uses it to his advantage as a developing young person who happens to be a very good basketball player.
Take a step back Professor Taylor, he's a seventeen year old high school basketball player - not Ernest Hemingway.
Wow! Rip on a kid in public under the guise of helping. This is a new low in journalism. You have excellent suggestions on ways to make the diary more interesting. You have great questions that if Jereme answered would better engage the reader. Why not really help by making suggestions to him in person, by phone, or email. No one likes to be embarrassed in a public forum, and most react negatively. Why not fix your mistake by privately and publicly apologizing. Next, work with the kid to better himself and his work product like any decent teacher would do.
Mr. Bell
Is that what you were attempting? Rip a kid under the guise of ... Doubt it very seriously.
Personally, I don't expect him to always be overly loquacious with his diary, I too would like to hear a little more about his more recent experiences on the court and what his goals are for next year. Does he view himself as a one and done college player or will he stay long enough to chose a major. That's what I'm interested in learning from his diaries.
Marc T.
Taylor, are you kidding me? You're ripping a 17-year-old for not being media savvy? Jereme Richmond wants to play basketball, he's not the next Rick Reilly or even the next Taylor Bell. Right now he really should not be worried about A: His legacy B: who his teammates will be next year or C: What he learned from last year. Let him get his state championship (or try to) and for once LEAVE THE KID ALONE!
By the way, if Jereme Richmond was in foul trouble in last year's state championship game Young would have blown Waukegan out of the gym in the 2nd half. The reason why it looks like he doesn't play very hard all the time is because of that reason. If Richmond is out of the game, Waukegan loses. Period. End of Story.
Taylor, why don't you direct your ire at the dunderhead whose idea it was to give a 17-year-old a weekly column?