We are keeping our fingers crossed in the hope that we can return to a “normal” version of college basketball this fall: fans in the stands, announcers without masks, etc. Nobody knows exactly what is going to happen but we will try to restore some order with season previews featuring the best players/coaches in the country. We continue our coverage with Colgate SR G Tucker Richardson. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Tucker about almost going undefeated last year and his expectations for this season.
You were born/raised in New Jersey: what made you choose Colgate? Colgate was the school that recruited me the hardest throughout high school: it also offered the best mix of academics and a chance to win and play in the NCAA tournament…and obviously that turned out to be true! It was where I felt the most wanted/needed so it was an easy choice.
You play for Coach Matt Langel: what makes him such a great coach, and what is the most important thing that you have learned from him so far? He understands how each player works on an individual level and is able to coach them differently based on what motivates them. I have learned how to play freely and with the utmost confidence under our coach, which I think is very unique to his style.
You started 32 straight games as a freshman and were named 2019 conference ROY: what did it mean to you to receive such an outstanding honor? Winning Rookie of the Year was an amazing accomplishment and a validation of the work I had put in up until that point. However, the best part of that season by far was winning the Patriot League championship and playing in the NCAA tournament.
Your only regular season loss last year was by 2 PTS to Army: how close did you come to going undefeated? We definitely felt like we should have gone undefeated during the regular season. That Army loss certainly stung…but I am not sure that we would have won the rest of our games afterward if we had not lost to them. Sometimes a loss like that teaches you more than any win could: who knows if we would have gone to the tournament without that loss?
Your team was #3 in the nation with 40.3 3P% and #1 in the nation with 26.4 3P% allowed: what role does the 3-PT line play in your team’s philosophy on both offense/defense? As college basketball (and basketball in general) has evolved, the 3-PT shot has become an essential part of the game. Our team has found ways to take advantage of the offensive side of the 3-PT shot for many years because we know it can be really effective. I actually did not even know that we were 1st in 3-PT defense but I think that the credit should be given to our coaching staff for having us work on closeouts and go over scouting reports consistently, giving us the best chance to take away the other team’s effectiveness.
You have played in 9 conference tourney games, won 8 of them, and your only loss was by 3 PTS: what is the key to winning games in March? The key to winning basketball games in March is preparation/confidence. Preparation in that each individual game matters more than anything that happened before or is coming in the future. Any team can win or lose a game in March so you have to be prepared for anything. However, if you do not have confidence in your team and yourself then you will crumble under the pressure of bigger games. Those two factors are what have made us so successful.
In the 2021 NCAA tourney you scored 9 PTS in a loss to Arkansas: what did you learn from that loss that you think will help you this year? Unfortunately I did not have my best game against Arkansas: it was especially frustrating because we all believed that we could beat them. However, it was important to realize that when playing a team that is bigger, quicker, and more athletic than us, we have to use our decision-making to beat them. Unfortunately, as a team we struggled with that in the second half, so going into next season we are more likely to make the correct decisions against other teams like Arkansas.
You were a captain last year as a junior: what is the secret to being a good leader? 1 thing that is important to being a good leader is pushing yourself out of your comfort zone. Making sure you know each player on the team individually and can talk to them about anything is a way to gain trust in your teammates. You might need to have uncomfortable conversations with teammates, but it is necessary to build a bond where they can go to you to talk about anything.
You are 1 of 6 seniors/grad students on the current roster: how crucial will all of that experience be to your team’s success this year? It is going to be extremely important. We have guys that have won and lost in the biggest games and also know what it takes to be successful at our level. If we have a bad practice one day we have the veteran leadership to know that our next practice is going to be a great one. We also have guys that have returned to our program for one more year because they knew that this was where they had the best chance to win, and I think all of us want to take advantage of this special year/opportunity.
What are your goals for this season, and what are your expectations for this season? My goal going into my senior year is to win the Patriot League championship and finally get a win in the NCAA tournament. We have proved as a program that we can get to the biggest stage: now I want to win a game when we get there. Of course that is easier said than done and first we must win our league. To do that, we are going to have to compete and push each other to get better everyday. We cannot care what happened last year or any other year: instead we have to come into the year hungry for another ring. If we do those things then my expectation is that we can achieve that goal.