Where Are They Now: Norman Richardson, Men's Basketball

Recruited out of William E. Grady High School in Brooklyn, New York, Norman Richardson was a staple of the Hofstra men’s basketball team from 1997 to 2001. During his time at Hofstra, Richardson helped the Pride to three consecutive postseason trips, including back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances after winning the America East Conference championship in 2000 and 2001, and an NIT appearance in 1999.

Richardson was named Honorable Mention All-America his senior season, in addition to being named the America East Conference Player of the Year and winning the Haggerty Award as the top player in the New York Area. He currently ranks 10th all-time at Hofstra in points scored (1,677) and fifth in three-point field goals made (192).

Undrafted following his four-year career at Hofstra, Richardson spent time during the 2001-02 NBA season playing for the Indiana Pacers and the Chicago Bulls before joining Scavolini Pesaro of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A for the 2002-03 season. Richardson would spend the next seven years playing across Europe and South America, with some appearances on NBA Developmental League rosters, before concluding his playing career with Eisbären Bremerhaven of the German Basketball Bundesliga in 2009-10.

From 2012 to 2014, Richardson would serve as head coach for TSV Bietigheim of the German professional league before moving on to be the assistant coach at the Erie Bayhawks of the NBA G-League from 2016 to 2017. Richardson has been the assistant coach of the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the NBA G-League since 2017, helping the Mad Ants to the Central Conference Final in 2017-18. 

Richardson lives with his family in Las Vegas, Nevada.

What made you decide to attend Hofstra?

Even though I played on a very good high school team and a really good AAU team, I wasn’t very heavily recruited for whatever reason. I actually called Hofstra to ask them to recruit me. Jay Wright was the head coach at the time, he had some really talented players that were at my position, and he didn’t think I would fit into the role my position played. So I had reached out to my high school coach Jack Ringel to see if he could call Hofstra and see if they would be interested in me. 

I had two other offers from Cleveland State and East Carolina, but I wanted to stay close and go to a local school. A friend and teammate of mine, Roberto Gittens, had also signed with Hofstra, and I wanted to play with him as well. Jack Ringel called and spoke to Jay Wright about recruiting me, and coach Wright was reluctant at first, but he eventually came to see me play. I don’t remember playing well, but what stood out to coach Wright when he spoke to me was that I played hard and I got to the free-throw line. He took a chance on me, and he offered me a scholarship. 

When I was offered, I was playing basketball on my neighborhood court and the Hofstra coaches brought the National Letter of Intent for me to sign because I had never been to Hempstead. I signed the letter on the back of a friend’s car.

What is your favorite memory from playing at Hofstra?

I have two, and they’re both times we won the America East Championships. It was a special group of guys that we were able to accomplish that with. We’re all still very close to this day, we speak fairly regularly. Whenever we see each other, it’s like we haven’t missed a day. Those are two very special memories of my time at Hofstra that I’ll never forget.

What does it mean to you to be a part of the Hofstra family?

Being a part of the Hofstra family means a lot to me. Hofstra helped me mature as person and as an athlete. Hofstra gave me an opportunity to connect with some amazing people, it allowed me to express my talent, and provided me with an outstanding education. I am forever grateful to the university and couldn’t be more proud to be a part of the Hofstra family. 

How did competing as a student-athlete at Hofstra prepare you for life after college?

It helped me understand the importance of hard work, preparation, commitment, discipline and having the right attitude. I used all of these characteristics during my playing career and I use them now as a coach. I learned all of this during my time at Hofstra. Our coaching staff at Hofstra did an outstanding job challenging us every day to be excellent and that helped us push one another to reach our full potential as a basketball team. I adopted those things from our coaching staff and used it to help me in my professional career as a player and a coach.

How did you end up playing basketball overseas?

Coming to Hofstra, I had never thought about playing professional basketball, but it wasn’t until my sophomore season that I realized I had an opportunity to play professionally. When I found out that there was that possibility, I focused everything towards making an NBA team. I had never thought about playing in Europe or South America, I just put all my focus on the NBA once there was that opportunity. 

When the chance to play in Europe presented itself, I was frightened to say the least. It was a different culture, a different language, a bunch of different things. Once I went over there, I met some wonderful people, developed some lifelong friendships, and I realized that it was a dream come true for me to be able to travel to so many countries, meet some great people, and have so many great experiences that was something I never would’ve imagined having happened as a kid from Brooklyn.

Do you have a favorite memory from your time playing overseas?

I’ve had wonderful times playing overseas, but the one memory that is very special to me is winning the Serbian National Cup championship with Red Star Belgrade, beating our arch-rival Partizan to get to the finals. It was one of the biggest rivalries I’ve ever been a part of in my playing career, and to win that game, and ultimately the championship, will stick with me for the rest of my life.

How did you get into coaching at the end of your playing career?

I played my last two seasons in Germany and when I was done playing, I wanted to get into coaching at the college level. So I came back to the United States and just went to different colleges and watched their practices, trying to figure out what the best way to break into that profession at that level was. I got a call from a friend of mine in Germany with an opportunity. I flew over to interview and was offered the job on the spot. 

I was there for two years before coming back to the States looking for an opportunity to coach back home. Jay Hernandez, who was a college teammate of mine and an assistant coach with the Orlando Magic at the time, reached out and told me that there was an opening with their G-League team and asked if I was interested. I said I was, and after going through the interview process, I wound up becoming the assistant coach with the Erie Bayhawks. I coached for a season with the Bayhawks before an opportunity came up with Fort Wayne as their assistant coach, and I took the job in 2017 and have been with the team since.

What is one piece of advice you would give to current Hofstra student-athletes?

I would say to stay humble, stay committed, and stay dedicated. Continue to work on your craft on the court, be a good student and a good citizen away from the basketball court. I think those things are important because, while having talent is important for playing at the next level, character is even more important than talent. You have to be a good human being, and that’s something a lot of people don’t stress enough.