The silky smooth pace and control of Syracuse freshman Kadary Richmond

At open gyms in the fall of 2019, high-major coaches surveyed the court at Brewster (N.H.) Academy. It was full of elite talent, including top-100 prospects DeMarr Langford Jr. (Boston College) and Terrence Clarke (Kentucky). At some point, the coaches inevitably found a long, athletic guard in Kadary Richmond, who says he didn’t play on the EYBL circuit and received only a handful of big-time offers. “Wow, he’s very good,” one high-major coach noted. That soon became a popular sentiment from others who would come to town to recruit.

“He’s going anywhere he wants to, right?”

Well, not quite. Although he was the 86th-ranked player in his class, per the 247Sports Composite, Richmond was far from a perfect recruit. He didn’t have a proven perimeter jumper, and he sometimes went long stretches without impacting games in a significant way. But the talent, instincts and athleticism were too good for Syracuse to pass up. Georgetown and Florida State extended offers, and SU followed late in the cycle. Richmond, a Brooklyn native, committed to his dream school in part because of a tight bond with assistant coach Allen Griffin, who also is a soft-spoken man from Brooklyn.

Since arriving on campus, Richmond has had a high expectation bar, with coach Jim Boeheim comparing him to some of the more talented guards he has had, including Tyler Ennis and Jonny Flynn. Seven games into his college career, the freshman has met if not exceeded expectations, Boeheim frequently citing Richmond’s playmaking ability. In each of the past two games, Boeheim subbed in Richmond in the second half, with the Orange needing a spark, something to get them going. Richmond didn’t dominate or draw all of the attention, but his insertion into the games changed the rhythm and pace. With Richmond, SU seems more active defensively, more vibrant offensively and more aggressive in moving toward the rim to score. You could argue that Richmond’s playing time in the second half lifted SU to its last two wins, avoiding two upsets in the process.

The numbers confirm what the eyes have shown: Richmond has been one of SU’s most productive and efficient players, with a 113.9 offensive rating that trails only Quincy Guerrier and Marek Dolezaj. He leads the ACC in steals per game (2.57) in only 26 minutes per night. Deflections that don’t result in steals also alter passes, which has prompted Buddy Boeheim to call him “one of the best zone defenders I’ve ever seen,” thanks to his combination of length and anticipation. Richmond’s shot-quality rank, mostly a result of his ability to attack the rim and finish in traffic, places second on the team behind only Guerrier.

“People from my area don’t get opportunities like this,” Richmond says. “I’m not going to waste any moments out there.”

How’s that for perspective from the 19-year-old, who is equally aware of his weaknesses as his strengths: “I need to work on picking my spots on the court, knowing when to attack and when to make plays. Being a little more aggressive sometimes.”

Richmond can play in a variety of situations: in fighting near the basket, in double teams, against full-court pressure and in pick-and-roll action. With good speed for a guy with a 6-foot-5 frame, he can steal the ball and break into the clear with it on his own. He can control the ball with his left hand better than his right, he says, and he can go down the middle of a fast break and fire passes to the left and right, the timing of his passes swift and quick. He can play the one, his natural position, back down in the post, spin, attack, or feed the hot hand.

His playmaking is a basic characteristic of his style. He isn’t a high-scoring guard, at least not yet, but his accuracy is high. He doesn’t have an impulse to shoot all the time, or even much at all. He says his jumper remains something to be worked on and crafted, which explains why he’s often one of the first players warming up before games, lofting shot after shot, with a focus on his lift and release. When Richmond dribbles, he can pass accurately without first catching the ball. Teammates aren’t always expecting his passes, because Richmond is usually thinking a little bit ahead.

So how did he develop this pacing and body control, which enables him sometimes to bail out his raw offensive talent with instincts?

“God’s gift gave him that. It’s natural for him,” says Tim Cushing, one of his coaches at Brewster and a mentor who remains in close contact with Richmond. “He’s always in control. Even his turnovers, he controls his body, his movement. His pace is unbelievable. He’ll get a guy sitting, then he’s at the hoop with a hesitation or crossover. You can’t teach that. He has that gift to internalize plays quickly but think slow. His IQ is huge.

“His hesitation and his crossover, any move he has, it’s natural. He makes the defender not know what he’s going to do. His first step and explosiveness allow him to get to the rim. He’s not afraid of contact. He doesn’t brace himself for contact, he’s not nervous. That’s part of the Brooklyn upbringing. He’s tough in every way. You’re not going to faze him when he’s going to the rim. You look at him, he’s kinda lackadaisical, then he’s by you at the rim.”

Richmond sticks mostly to two moves. His crossover dribble is low and controlled. His under-the-legs dribble move is fast. What both accomplish outweighs how visually appealing they may be: Richmond changes direction. The separation is all he needs to explode with a first step toward the rim. At times, he then will deploy his hesitation move, in which he deceives his defender into thinking he’s simply surveying the floor. Then he revs back up to full speed. Richmond plays at multiple speeds and can switch at any time.

For now, Boeheim has said he will start sophomore Joseph Girard, who has more experience and better shooting ability than Richmond. He says he needs both guards, and it’s not so much a question of either-or. Rather, Syracuse will play the point guard who is impacting the game the most. Some nights, it might be Girard and his smooth stroke. But Richmond is continuing to hum along; his presence is becoming more and more difficult to ignore.

“He could play harder at times,” Cushing says. “Part of that is not being as engaged as he should be. But the other part of that is he’s observing. He watches to know what his next move should be. He’s never out of control. He thinks very clearly about where he’s going. That vision and that mind is elite. He’s got a street-ball feel to his game, and a crafty feel at the rim that makes him exciting to watch.”

(Photo: Rich Barnes / USA Today)