Prospect Spotlight: Jaylin Richardson (2020)
The future is now at Turner, and for 6-foot-1 point guard Jaylin Richardson, his sophomore year could be a big one.
Kansas’ 4th-ranked 2020, Richardson spent his spring and summer with MOKAN Elite 15U on the EYBL circuit, and now will switch gears to help lead the Golden Bears.
We recently caught up with the Division I prospect, and discussed what it is that makes him such a threat.
“I’m a floor general, a point guard, a slasher. I’m kind of a heavier guard, if you wanna say, and I always look to get my teammates involved first,” said Richardson. “I rely heavily on defense, and I like getting in my guy’s face and guarding the best player the entire game.”
He added: “I like to get to the rim a lot, and I can score; but this season I’m working on my shooting, and improving that part of my game.”
During the spring and summer with MOKAN Elite 15U, Richardson said he faced some stiff competition, including guys in the MOKAN program; it was all great for his learning process.
“I was playing against some great competition, guys that were bigger, faster, so I was just learning a lot of new stuff. And playing up with the 16U MOKAN guys in practice really helped me a lot,” said Richardson.
“We had a pretty good year on the EYBL, and we had a pretty solid season. I thought I played alright but I thought I could have played better. I had some injuries that slowed me down, so I don’t think I got to showcase my whole talent.”
After starting last season as a freshman with Turner, Richardson is now an experienced sophomore veteran.
“I’ll be playing point guard again this season, and we have a really talented group this year. The big goal is to go to state,” said Richardson.
“For myself, I’m just trying to be a better point guard; score, get everyone involved and just try and be a better point guard and a better person, on and off the court.”
As for his recruitment, he’s still quite young, college coaches can’t contact him directly yet. But they can inquire.
“I’ve been getting tons of letters, I just had Creighton and Iowa talk to my high school coach,” said Richardson. “I’m trying to stay humble because a lot of kids don’t get to do all this.”