If you follow Kentucky basketball, then you know how much of a Nick Richards fan UK head coach John Calipari is. And you also know how much Cal has preached about Richards’ confidence skyrocketing since last season. If his solid performance in Madison Square Garden after suffering an ankle injury didn’t prove that, then his 21-point, 10-rebound, 4-block game Friday night against Eastern Kentucky surely did. 

“Nick, so much better than a year ago,” Calipari said. “Then you say, well, you must be really pumping him up, saying great things. No. He’s in the greatest shape he’s ever been in and he’s built his own confidence now. Doesn’t matter what I say now and it doesn’t matter what I say if you’re not in great shape, you’re not going to have confidence. He still has a ways to go but he’s way better.”

Just a few days ago, it was uncertain as to whether or not Richards would play against the Spartans. The junior suffered an ankle injury that kept him out against UK’s second exhibition game against Kentucky State, but worked with the UK training staff to get himself ready for the season opener. 

“We have training staff from the NBA so I’ve been training three times a week just trying to get stronger, a lot of rehab,” Richards said. “Just trying to get stronger and bring it back.”

In UK’s 91-49 win over the Colonels Friday night, Richards scored more than he did in any game last season for the Cats. The 6-foot-11 forward was dunking, sinking hook shots and swatting the ball all night in his second 20-point game of his UK career, and his teammate Nate Sestina had plenty to say about it. 

“He played phenomenally tonight,” Sestina said. “He just plays so hard. A lot of the stuff he does goes unnoticed I think and he’s a guy that communicates a lot and does a lot of the small things for us.”

Post-game, Richards made sure to credit the guys around him for the impressive showing he had. 

“All of the credit goes to my teammates tonight,” Richards said. “And to the other team, they played really hard. But my teammates, you know, they try to get me involved from the jump. Throwing me lobs, throwing me the ball in the post, trying to get me easy baskets. You know, credit goes to my teammates tonight.”

Richards’ teammates and coaches weren’t the only ones to commend his performance. Eastern Kentucky’s head coach AW Hamilton called him a “superstar.”

“If he plays like that, Kentucky is probably going to win the National Championship, that’s what I think,” Hamilton said.