Columnist Steve Addy: Richardson wants to be a ‘player’

Steve Addy

Thursday, Nov. 1, 2001 | 10:47 a.m.

Steve Addy covers college basketball for the Las Vegas Sun. Reach him at 259-4087 or by e-mail at addy@lasvegassun.com. Regular Thursday columnist Ron Kantowski is on vacation.

Chris Richardson's final UNLV basketball season is starting soon, but after all this time, what we know about him isn't as intriguing as what we don't.

We know he can run fast and jump really high. We know that he's so skinny, his bermudas keep turning into hip-huggers.

We also know he can hurdle a ball rack and a couple of reluctant ball boys and throw down a thunderous dunk. He's promising something wild like that today at the Rebels' Fan Jam (6 p.m.), where he'll try to complete a four-year sweep of the event.

But despite Richardson's tantalizing tools, here's what we still don't know: Is he a player?

When he arrived at UNLV in 1998, his resume suggested he was. He averaged 18 points and 11 rebounds as a high school senior in Texas, made the all-state team and played in some of those all-star "classics" that recruiting gurus take way too seriously.

But other than a few flashes, Richardson's Rebels career has been more heat than light. In 71 games, he's scored in double figures six times, but never higher than 12. One time he got nine rebounds, and three other times he got seven.

Mostly, his career has been about flashy Fan Jam dunks and potential. He doesn't dispute this assessment, harsh as it seems, but he does intend to alter it.

"All I've heard for three years is, 'He can jump,' or 'He's an athlete,' " said Richardson, 21. "I want people to see that I can shoot the ball, I can play 'D' and I can pass. I'm an all-around player."

OK, perhaps. But at least Richardson seems to be taking things more seriously. He's been attentive in practice and hasn't hesitated to scold teammates who aren't working hard enough.

Richardson also has this going for him: the Rebels simply do not have enough tall guys. He's only 6-foot-6, 185 pounds, but on this team he qualifies as a big guy. If he plays defense, he'll get meaningful minutes at both forward spots and center.

Above all, Richardson's spirits seem buoyed by the fact he's in uniform at all. There was plenty of doubt about his future last year when he had to testify before the NCAA Infractions Committee about his role in violations by the program.

"I walked into the room and all the NCAA people were sitting up there. I was the only player. It was scary," Richardson said. "I was fighting for my career."

When the NCAA didn't believe his testimony about paying for a used bed procured by a former UNLV assistant, he was cited for unethical conduct and was forced to sit out the first seven games. He finally became eligible the day Bill Bayno got fired, and things went downhill from there.

But Richardson says he has put last season out of his mind. He's looking "straight ahead," and knows tonight's festivities are merely a tasty appetizer.

"I have a couple of dunks in my bag that no one has seen," he said.

That was Chris Richardson -- the athlete -- talking. As of tomorrow, Chris Richardson -- the player -- has to take over.