Richardson Anxious for December
2016 Deer Creek Shooting Guard Jonathan Richardson has a message for the Oklahoma High School basketball community. “Don’t sleep on me or my team,” Richardson said emphatically. “We are coming.” Take heed to those words as Deer Creek may have…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue Reading2016 Deer Creek Shooting Guard Jonathan Richardson has a message for the Oklahoma High School basketball community.
“Don’t sleep on me or my team,” Richardson said emphatically. “We are coming.”
Take heed to those words as Deer Creek may have lost its all-star in Connor Avants, but don't expect to slow down much. The Antlers reached the 5A State Tournament Semi-finals before losing to eventual champions Lawton Eisenhower. The days are over for Deer Creek in Class 5A as they will move up to class 6A this year.
Mustang, Norman North, Midwest City, Edmond Memorial the list goes on in Class 6A. The journey won't be easy, but it is a challenge that Richardson says they are ready for.
“It’s going to be really tough,” said Richardson. “But thats something we embrace. We look forward to going up against some of the best talent in the state and playing in the largest classification in the state.”
Things shouldn't be completely unfamiliar for Deer Creek. The Antlers play in the Central Oklahoma Conference in which they were the only 5A team a season ago. Going up against teams such as Mustang, Norman North, Edmond Memorial, and Edmond Santa Fe has prepared them for the move to Class 6A. Deer Creek finished 5th in the conference a season ago.
To continue this success, the Antlers will rely on 2016 Guard Elyjah Clark as their leading scorer. Richardson will be called upon to be a scorer that can provide a scoring punch behind Clark. Although undersized, he is a knockdown shooter from range. Richardson says the Grassroots circuit has contributed to the advancements in his game.
“AAU really helped me improve my jump shot and also my defense,” Richardson said. “I gained a lot of confidence in my game.”
Despite the move to 6A, expectations are still high for the team. The Antlers expect to contend for a state championship. They will kick off the season on December 1st with a match up against Mustang. As far as Richardson himself, his sole focus is on the season ahead, but the future does cross his mind.
“This is the game I love so of course I think about the future from time to time,” Richardson said. “It’s always been a dream of mine to play at the next level and I hope I can achieve that.”
The Prep Hoops Oklahoma staff project that Richardson can move on to the next level as an NCAA D III or NAIA player. He is a team basketball player that plays extremely hard, which will attract college coaches. Only time will tell where he will end up, but in the moment Richardson is ready to get his senior year underway.