Jereme Richmond arrested for assault, threatening with a gun

In one fell swoop, Jereme Richmond may have made himself completely undesirable to any professional basketball team as well as every potential girlfriend he may have.

The former Illinois forward was charged with three felonies stemming from a series of incidents the past two days -- aggravated battery, aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and aggravated assault, as well as misdemeanor charges of domestic battery, battery, and two counts of disorderly conduct.


The specifics are unclear as of now -- ESPN Chicago, the Daily Herald, and the Chicago Sun-Times have slight differences in their reports -- but essentially what happened is that Richmond had a confrontation with a 17 year old girl he had been dating at her house, in front of her parents. From the ESPN report:

According to [Waukegan police commander Gabe] Guzman, Richmond, 19, was involved in a confrontation with a woman on the 3000 block of Golfmoor in Waukegan on Monday. When a Waukegan police car arrived on the scene, Richmond was in the resident's yard.

According to the police report, Richmond made a statement to the resident, "You looking for me? I'm here now. I'll shoot your [expletive]."

Three of Richmond's friends were found in a car outside the resident's home. A loaded .40 caliber Smith and Wesson handgun was discovered in the car, and all three passengers were taken into custody.

There's more.

The Daily Herald is reporting that on Sunday, the woman drove to Richmond's house to get her cell phone and the two had a confrontation that ended with Richmond shoving the girl into her car.

This isn't the first time that Richmond has been in trouble, either. He missed a game against Wisconsin during Big Ten after skipping two days of practice to return home for unspecified personal reasons. He was suspended for the Illini's two NCAA Tournament games after a reported fight with a teammate following their loss to Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament.

Its a sad ending that should serve as a cautionary tale for every elite recruit in the country.

There is no question that Richmond is an immensely talented basketball player. A 6'8" small forward, he has a versatile skill set that should have allowed him to be a weapon at both the college level and potentially the NBA. But Richmond, who committed to Illinois when he was a freshman and went on to make the McDonald's all-american team, bought into the hype. He believed -- more than likely due to the influence of his family -- that the NBA was a foregone conclusion, not a goal that he had to work to achieve.

And now, not only did he lose his collegiate eligibility by foolishly entering the NBA Draft after one year in college, he is now facing as much as 14 years in prison.

Destiny is a fickle bitch, ain't she.
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Jereme Richmond's father and uncle provide a glimpse into his decision-making process

Crawford Richmond seems like he is just a bit off his rocker.

The uncle of Jereme Richmond, who left Illinois after one lackluster season in Champaign, made the ill-advised decision to pop-off to Chicago Tribune reporter Chris Hine over the weekend. In the process, he blamed seemingly everyone except Jereme for his nephew going undrafted on Thursday night.

"NBA executives have to be a fool not to consider him," the self-described 'passionate basketball uncle' told Hine. "They have to be fools and they are fools, but what they're going to do is they're going to get him for cheap. He's going to play in the NBA."

"He's way better than (No. 1 overall selection) Kyrie Irving. He's right there with (North Carolina's) Harrison Barnes. I can't tell the difference. Jereme is soft spoken and he's different, but that doesn't make him a bad person."


Crawford went a step further than that. After stating that Jereme's off-the-court issues didn't involve the police -- like Klay Thompson of Washington State, who went 11th to Golden State -- Crawford proceeded to rip Illinois assistant coach Jerrance Howard:

Crawford Richmond blames undue influence on his nephew from a young age, a mantra telling him he was a "one-and-done" prospect.

He says it was a constant chorus from friends, agents, the media and, in particular, Illinois assistant coach Jerrance Howard. Howard handled Richmond's recruitment at Illinois after former assistant Tracy Webster left for an assistant's job at Kentucky.

...

"I have a lot of other kids I'm coaching right now and Jerrance Howard can't talk to them," Richmond said, not elaborating on who those players are.

For good measure, he added: "I would never want to talk to Jerrance Howard again in my life. (That is) on the record."

It was bad enough that Jereme's father, Bill, called Hine on Sunday to try and perform some damage control.

"Jereme doesn't feel that way about the process, Illinois or Jerrance Howard," Crawford's brother said. "We love Jerrance. He's like a friend to me, he really is. He's a good guy and he's never done anything but try and help our kid get to where he wanted to go."

"[Jereme] doesn't have any character issues. He might have some sense of entitlement, based on being put in this position for so many years. … It has to go into your head at some point. He's been humbled by this process, believe me."

When you hear Crawford Richmond spouting off about how Jereme is better than Kyrie Irving, this year's No. 1 pick, or Harrison Barnes, who may very well be next year's No. 1 pick, its easy to write off what he is saying. But if you dig a little bit, what Crawford is saying actually makes sense.

Jereme Richmond was a top 25 recruit in the country. He was a McDonald's all-american. He was talented enough that, as a freshman, he was able to commit to play at Illinois. Think about that. He was 14 years old when he gave his collegiate commitment. And you don't expect him to have a sense of entitlement? If he had been hearing how great he was since he was in middle school, you don't think that is eventually going to go to his head?

To a point, Crawford is right. When you are an elite recruit like Jereme was, its important to keep the people around you grounded and level-headed.

But the fact that Crawford is the one saying all this is a bit ironic. Because based on how he sees Jereme in comparison to Barnes and Irving, I don't think it is a stretch to say that he's at least partly responsible for the player's inflated sense of his ability.

If anything, the Jereme Richmond saga should serve as a cautionary tale.

Don't buy the hype. Understand that any ranking you receive is based as much on your potential as your talent. IF you don't continue to work on your game, you will end up being the same player as a college freshman that you were as a high school sophomore. That's not a good thing, and that's not the way to fast track yourself to NBA stardom.
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Who made the wrong early entry decision?: Hollis Thompson should withdraw from the draft

Hollis Thompson's decision to enter the 2011 NBA Draft was a bit of a surprise to all involved.

And its only partly because the 6'7" sophomore averaged just 8.6 ppg and 4.4 rpg this past season.

Thompson is a talented player. He's a small forward with NBA length and athleticism. He is a very good shooter from the perimeter and has shown flashes of being able to put the ball on the floor and get to the rim. The problem? Thompson has never had the opportunity to showcase his ability on the offensive end of the floor.

This past season, Thompson spent the first half of the year starting at the four with Chris Wright, Austin Freeman, and Jason Clark logging the majority of the perimeter minutes. Midway through the year, Nate Lubick slid into the starting lineup and Thompson became Georgetown head coach John Thompson III's hired gun off the bench.


There were reports that Thompson was unhappy with that role, which is why he declared for the draft and considered transferring out of Georgetown.

That makes absolutely no sense.

You see, Freeman and Wright both graduate this spring, as does starting center Julian Vaughn. With Vee Sanford transferring out of the program, that means that Thompson, along with Clark, will be the featured scorer in JT III's offensive next season, likely taking over Freeman's role as resident long-range assassin. And with Nate Lubick, Henry Sims, and Jerelle Benimon returning up front -- and a loaded group of freshmen bigs, headlined by top-30 recruit Otto Porter -- back court minutes will readily available.

Thompson showed flashes of being an all-Big East caliber player last year. He had 18 points and nine boards in a win over NC State. He went for 16 points and seven boards against St. John's. And he average 16.0 ppg on 17-26 shooting in the Hoyas final three games, including a 26 point, seven rebound outburst in Georgetown's loss to VCU in the first round of the tournament.

Thompson has a chance to show the country -- and the NBA GM's -- just how good he can be next season.

He should withdraw from the NBA Draft.

Who else made the wrong early entry decision?

• Ashton Gibbs, Pitt: Entered the draft, no agent
  
  There are conflicting reports about what Gibbs is planning to do, likely the result of Gibbs and his family having conflicting emotions about the decision. Its obvious that Gibbs wants to -- or is, at the least, trying to convince agents and GM's that he wants to -- become a pro. But the bottom line is that he just isn't an NBA player right now. He's a 6'1" shooter that is a step slow and can't jump all that high. But he is a great college player, and having the chance to prove he can create off the dribble should help his standing as a draft prospect.


• Malcolm Lee, UCLA: Entered the draft, signed agent
  
  Lee seems like he was just done being a college student. That is the only explanation for a player that has a chance of going undrafted to remain in the draft. Lee showed some flashes of being a productive scorer this season and he is a terrific defender, but he averaged just 2.0 apg this season and shot 29.5% from beyond the arc. The physical talent is there, but another season in Westwood -- playing for a team that would likely have been the cream of the Pac-10 crop with him -- to develop his all-around offensive game would have helped his stock.


• Jereme Richmond, Illinois: Entered the draft, signed agent
  
  Richmond may not have had much of a choice in this situation. Assuming he did, he probably could have used another season of seasoning. Its certainly not an issue of potential. He's an athletic, 6'8" combo forward that can do a lot of different things on a basketball court. He's got the makings of being a terrific all-around player one day. This issue is that some of his off-the-court problems make it seem like he may not ever live up to that potential. He missed a few practices and a game in the middle of the season and was suspended at the end of the season by Bruce Weber. He needs another season to develop as an adult and a professional, not necessarily as a basketball player.


• Jeff Taylor, Vanderbilt: Returned to school
  
  I don't generally like to criticize a player for staying in school. Taylor is going to earn his degree and get a chance to play with guys like Fetsus Ezeli and John Jenkins for another season on a top ten team. That said, Taylor would have been somewhere in the late lottery or mid-first round of this draft. In a loaded 2012 draft, he'll likely go late in the first round. He may drop even more if he doesn't show improvement in his perimeter skill set.

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UPDATE: Bruce Weber addresses the Jereme Richmond rumors

UPDATE: Here is Richmond's statement today on the matter:

I dealt with some personal issues last week that caused me to miss two practices while I was home with my family in Waukegan. With the help of Coach Weber and my family, I have worked through this situation. I appreciate their support and the support of my teammates for getting me through a difficult time. Unfortunately, my absence led to some false rumors that I want to put to rest. I have been and always will be 100 percent committed to the Illinois basketball program. My coaches and teammates are my family, and I'm looking forward to helping our team achieve our goals. I am an Illini for life.

Bruce Weber shouldn't be surprised that there are rumors of Jereme Richmond wanting to transfer.

That's what happens when your McDonald's all-american freshman sits out a game against a top 25 team when he missed the previous two day's practice after going home to deal with "personal issues". Comments like those made by Bill Cole and Tyler Griffey after the game didn't help the situation, either:

Asked if he was surprised that Richmond didn't play, forward Bill Cole offered an abrupt, "No." Said forward Tyler Griffey, "I'm not going to comment on the Jereme situation, sorry."

Its not that hard to put together, is it? Anyone could make that inference, right?

Well, Bruce Weber addressed those rumors on Monday.

"I'm not sure where all the rumors come from, to be honest," Weber said during Monday's teleconference. "I think that's one of (the media's) dilemmas that you have to deal with -- the internet and all. It really puts things as a negative thing. I feel bad for you guys, to be honest. Now we don't feel good about things that were put out there and then there's a lot of distrust there that happens."

"You know, Jereme had some personal issues he wanted to deal with. We talked and talked and then he went home and talked with his family. He came back. He was in Madison and he was at practice yesterday and hopefully be a valuable member of our team down the stretch run."

So there you have it.

Keep in mind, Richmond is an Illinois-native that committed to the Illini his freshman year in high school. He never wavered throughout high school despite becoming a McDonald's all-american. Sounds like a kid that truly wanted to be in Champaign, right?

Maybe -- just maybe -- he truly had some personal issues to deal with that had nothing to do with potentially leaving the school.

Or maybe he didn't like his role with the team and needed some sense talked into by his family.

Whatever the case, he's back with the Illini, and that's what truly matters here, isn't it?

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Jereme Richmond knocked out Brandon Paul ... in the Illinois State Tournament

Illinois wings Brandon Paul and Jereme Richmond have a history.

Both hail from Illinois. Paul was a Warren Blue Devil while Richmond was a Waukegan Bulldog. In 2009, Warren advanced to face Waukegan in a Class 4A Sectional Final. Paul was a senior on that Warren team, while Richmond was a star junior who turned 17 that night.

It was a close game, and with 4.7 seconds left, Paul knocked down three straight free throws to give Warren a 69-68 lead.

Then this happened:



The guy hitting that 45 footer at the buzzer?

That was Richmond.

The good news for Illinois is that the two players have been able to move past that night.

"Me and Brandon haven't really talked about [that game]," Richmond told the Lake County Journal. "We're trying to keep focused on the upcoming season, but we kind of laugh about it if it comes up. There’s no hard feelings there."

"I think it's more the kids [at Warren and Waukegan] out there [in Lake County] and the fans that talk about that game more than anything," Paul said. "But yeah, that was an amazing game."

It certainly was.

This post can also be found at Beyond the Arc.
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