Jase Richardson has stepped out of his father’s shadow for Big Ten champion Michigan State

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EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Jase Richardson was known as Jason Richardson’s son when he arrived at Michigan State last fall, following the footsteps of his father who played for the Spartans and in the NBA.

The freshman guard has stepped out of his father’s shadow as a calm, consistent and efficient player for the Big Ten champions.

“It’s super rewarding for me,” Jase Richardson told The Associated Press in an interview. “I had to come here and forge my own path because a lot of people are going to try to equate everything I do to my dad.

“I had to come in here, work hard, stay disciplined and show people what I could do.”

Mission accomplished.

Richardson has been perhaps the best player for the surprising Spartans, who were unranked for the first month of the season and are surging into this week’s Big Ten Tournament as the top-seeded team in the conference and ranked No. 7 in the AP Top 25.

On Monday, he was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week for the third straight week.

The Big Ten will announce its awards on Tuesday and Richardson will get at least one vote for the All-Big Ten team — from TV analyst and former Purdue star Robbie Hummel.

“With the way he’s played in the most important stretch and in the most important games, he’s deserving,” Hummel said in a telephone interview. “Even if maybe his overall numbers would suggest that he comes up short, I would disagree.

“He’s efficient in every facet and his demeanor is really like an upperclassman. I just love his calmness.”

Richardson has made 52.4% of his shots, a remarkable rate for a guard who shoots a lot of jumpers. He’s averaging 11.6 points in 24 minutes per game for a balanced team that has seven players averaging at least seven points in a 10-man rotation.

“There can’t be many guys that I’ve coached that are as efficient and as confident — not cocky, not arrogant,” Hall of Fame coach Tom Izzo said after winning a record-tying 11th Big Ten title in his 30th season. “He’s been a…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/article/jase-richardson-stepped-fathers-shadow-221126946.html

Author : Associated Press

Publish date : 2025-03-10 22:11:00

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