Winning with Integrity: Kareem Richardson proves success
is a choice
February 16, 2009
Kareem
Richardson recently took the next step in his bright
future as a basketball coach. He was named an assistant
coach at Drake University on May 19, 2008 after spending
the previous season as the top assistant with the
University of Missouri – Kansas City men's basketball
program. One of Coach Richardson's many duties with UMKC
was the development of the team’s perimeter players. Two
of UMKC's guards earned post season accolades. One was
Second Team All-Conference and the other was named on the
All-Newcomer Team.
Richardson came to UMKC after spending the past four
seasons as an assistant at his alma mater, University of
Evansville. While at the University of Evansville,
Richardson served as the recruiting coordinator for the
Purple Aces. During his four years on the sidelines, three
of his recruits were named to the Missouri Valley
Conference All-Freshman team, one selected to 2nd Team
All-MVC and one selected to the All-Newcomer squad.
Richardson began coaching in the Missouri Valley
Conference in 1999 at Indiana State University. Richardson
was a vital piece of the Sycamores having two straight
Missouri Valley Conference Championships and NCAA
appearances in 2000 and 2001. The 2000 conference
championship and NCAA appearance was the first since 1979,
when Larry Bird lead the team to the Final Four. In 2001,
Kareem’s Indiana State team topped the 4th seed Oklahoma
Sooners to reach the second round of the NCAA’s.
Richardson played two years at East Carolina University
before finishing his playing career at the University of
Evansville. He led the East Carolina Pirates to the
program’s first NCAA appearance in 1993. Richardson was an
All-Freshman performer and a two year honor roll student
while attending ECU. Richardson then transferred to the
University of Evansville. He was a member of the Missouri
Valley Conference All-Academic Team in 1996 and 1997.
Richardson was also the team captain. He graduated from
Evansville with a double major in telecommunication and
interpersonal communications
On this note, it is Coach Richardson’s firm belief that
the first role of a college basketball coach is that of an
“educator.” Extremely impressive is the fact that no
student-athlete has ever been declared ineligible under
his tutelage. Richardson says his main priority is to see
that each student-athlete graduates with a degree that
will put him in position to attain his long range goals.
His recruiting philosophy is simple: recruit who you can
get and love those you want. He aims to recruit and sign
student-athletes who have the ability to be successful
both on the basketball court and in the classroom. He
seeks to recruit the best players possible, but first and
foremost Coach Richardson believes all recruits must meet
the academic standards of the university. Kareem is a
first-class coach and he expects his players to represent
themselves in the same manner.
Coach Richardson believes recruiting is the program’s
“life-blood” and it requires teamwork and an organized,
concerted effort by the entire coaching staff. Because
recruiting is one of the most important phases a program
and is the most time consuming part of coaching, it should
be done right. According to Kareem, “you must get up the
earliest, stay the latest, be the first in, and the last
to leave.”
The cornerstones of his philosophy are desire, enthusiasm,
and trust. “To me, desire is the essence of learning. It
establishes exactly what you want. Our program must have
the discipline and determination to pay the price for what
we want to achieve. In addition, I firmly believe that
nothing great in this world was ever achieved without
enthusiasm.”
On the basketball court, he insists his players play with
a commitment to winning. “This commitment begins with an
attitude that they will play unselfishly, play with mental
and physical toughness, and play hard.” He advocates an
aggressive, attacking style of basketball. He emphasizes a
fast break offense, an aggressive man-to-man defense, and
a relentless effort in rebounding. For Coach Richardson,
the game plan is simple – “we will dictate the tempo of
the game as our offense produces high percentage shots and
our defense creates low percentage shots for our
opponents.”
Finally, Kareem believes the best way to separate his
players and program from the competition is to place an
even greater emphasis on individual improvement. Player
skill development is essential to the success of any
basketball program. He sees player development as an
on-going process that requires a big commitment from the
players and the coaching staff.
Kareem has established himself as one of the top assistant
coaches in the game today. His recruiting and coaching
accolades speak for themselves. He will continue to
exhibit the high level of character that has come to be
expected of him on and off the court. Kareem looks forward
to making a name for himself at Drake University while
continuing to improve himself as a coach and recruiter.
These skills will lead him to great success as a head
coach, which is inevitable in the not too distant future.
Kareem
Richardson recently took the next step in his bright
future as a basketball coach. He was named an assistant
coach at Drake University on May 19, 2008 after spending
the previous season as the top assistant with the
University of Missouri – Kansas City men's basketball
program. One of Coach Richardson's many duties with UMKC
was the development of the team’s perimeter players. Two
of UMKC's guards earned post season accolades. One was
Second Team All-Conference and the other was named on the
All-Newcomer Team.
