The future was always certain for Jereme Richmond.
Before he was in high school, he committed orally to play for Bruce Weber at Illinois. Through the next four years, as the hype and fanfare around Richmond grew, he garnered two of the highest high school basketball's honors — McDonald's All American and Illinois' Mr. Basketball for 2009-10.
Before he was in high school, he committed orally to play for Bruce Weber at Illinois. Through the next four years, as the hype and fanfare around Richmond grew, he garnered two of the highest high school basketball's honors — McDonald's All American and Illinois' Mr. Basketball for 2009-10.
He kept his promise to Weber and came to Illinois, averaging 7.6 points and 5.0 rebounds per game — production hardly matching his or Weber's expectations but numbers good enough to earn him conference honors on the all-freshman team.
Illinois suspended Richmond from the team's twoNCAA tournament games for reasons that still are not completely clear. His fight with teammate Brandon Paul did not help his standing.
Despite a freshman season that left much to be desired, Richmond declared for the NBA draft, hired an agent and became a professional.
Now Jereme Richmond is fighting for his basketball life.
Richmond's name was not called during Thursday's draft, leaving him a true free agent — no school to go back to, no league to audition for with an expectedNBA lockout just days away.
"NBA executives have to be a fool not to consider him," said Richmond's uncle, Crawford Richmond. "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."
During a lengthy phone interview with the Tribune this week, Crawford Richmond, who described himself as a "passionate basketball uncle," made his credentials clear: Played for Tex Winter at Long Beach State, teammate of former Bull Craig Hodges. (Jereme Richmond, his mother, Kimberlee, and father, Bill, did not respond to requests for comment.)
"He's way better than (No. 1 overall selection) Kyrie Irving," Crawford Richmond said. "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."
His critique is what you expect a doting uncle to say defending his family and student ("I taught Jereme basketball").
Richmond said he believes his nephew has gained an unfair reputation throughout the NBA as a problem-child.
"I'm tired of people talking about his character. I know he's a high character person," Richmond said. "Who's the judge and who's the jury?"
Thursday night, the NBA judged. It's jury of franchises did not came back in Richmond's favor.
One pick in the draft particularly drew Richmond's ire.
Golden State selected Klay Thompson, son of former NBA player Mychal Thompson, with the 11th overall pick despite Thompson's arrest in March on charges of marijuana possession.
"Jereme never has done a police crime. Never. I want you to quote that in your article," Richmond said. "What about (Thompson)? He got busted by the police, marijuana possession.
"And he goes first round?"
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