Since midway thru his freshmen season at Paint Branch HS Richard has played on the varsity for the Panthers. Last year PB lost to eventual MD 4A State Champion Perry Hall in the 4A State quarterfinals. With 6 plus key returnees, many experts believe Paint Branch & Springbrook are the 2 favorites in Montgomery County MD 4A. Both teams are just 5 miles apart & know each other well.
Richard will once again run the show for the athletic & talented Panthers at the point. Last year he averaged 12ppg & 6 assists. We saw Richard this spring & summer at the DeMatha BSN summer league where Paint Branch played against some of the best completion in the Washington, DC DMV, including 7 of the top 9 teams in the WCAC. In the BSN Richard more than held his own & averaged 15 ppg & 6 assists. In Grassroots play he played on a very good Team Takeover Orange Team & scored 16ppg.
In summer league play Richard displayed an excellent handle & true PG skills and says,” I always look to get my teammates involved. Facilitation & running our offense is one of my highest priorities, & I have very good court vision with a high basketball IQ.” Richard is very intelligent & knows how to generate ball movement & protect the ball. He says”Ball handling is one of my strengths. I can dribble with both hands & beat full court pressure in addition to going past my man off the dribble in the half court.”
When the opportunity presents itself Richard knows how & when to score. He can knock down open shots with very good shot mechanics & adds,”Last year I led Branch in 3 point shots and I can hit them from all angles on the court on & off the dribble. In the attack mode I can hit the mid range or go the rim. From the key or wings I can get to the basket & can score or hit my open teammate. Off the ball I know to make the proper cuts & I get open. Coach Bohlen has taught me a lot about being a PG. He is very tough, but he makes me a much better player.”
Paint Branch plays a very aggressive fast paced style of basketball. With their great athletes the Panthers wants to run in transition at every opportunity & play a run & gun style of play. On the defense the Panthers apply tough on ball defense & will apply full court pressure, Richard adds,”We have the players that love this style of play & Coach has built his system to the strengths of our players. Defensively, I am working to improve, but I get a few steals per game. Coach Bohlen really stresses conditioning & we focus on it everyday. This summer PB head Coach Bohlen organized workouts for the players at PB from M-F. We had basketball drills from 10am until noon ,then after some rest we have weight training from 1pm until 3:30 pm. Defensively, I am working to improve, but I get a few steals per game. I work on my footwork, lateral movement, going thru screens & staying low.
Since the season ended for Paint Branch thru today, Richard says,” My overall skills, shot & ball handling have gotten better. I am working on basketball everyday until preseason starts. We continue our strength & conditioning program & I am working on my vertical. I can dunk pretty well, but I still want to improve my explosion. Coach Bohlen & Coach Myron Flowers help me with resistance bands ,squats, plyos & flexibility, and all aspects of basketball. At various gyms I run very good pickups.”
Richard is thriving at Paint Branch & adds,”I am very fortunate to play for Coach Bohlen who has our best interests. Although he is tough, he praises us & cares about us off the court.” For the 2017/18 season the the talented Panthers can make a deep run in the MD 4A playoffs & Richard says, “We can go as far as we want, we just need to stay focused and in the gym. We can get to the MD 4A semifinals at the University of MD, it is up to us.”
In the classroom Richard is moving towards a 3.0. To date Richard who graduates in 2019 has no offers, but we believe this will change this year. He played in the Liberty College Camp & Liberty is showing Richard interest. We project him as D2 & up, but this could very change this season. We will be covering Paint Branch this season with game reports & new Recruiting Reports for each player, who are college prospects.
Richard is #5 , Video courtesy of our friend Marc Stern @ Capitol Hoops.