Trainer/Friend Jamal Richardson on Developing Darius Garland and Potential Pros

June twentieth Darius Garland will hear his name called by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, firmly placing him in the National Basketball Association.  It is a reality that felt pre-ordained.  Darius' father, Winston Garland, played in the NBA, and did a fantastic job surrounding his skilled but once tiny young son with incredible coaches, teachers, and trainers.  

Trainer Jamal Richardson began working with Darius Garland years ago.  With just over a month left before the NBA Draft and Garland's special day, Jamal Richardson took a few minutes to discuss the development and training of then-young Darius Garland.

When did you start working with Darius Garland?

Started working together in the sixth grade.  

What goals did Winston Garland lay out for you?

He gave me full control.  He sat in the first couple times.  He watched what I was teaching him. He liked what I taught.  He could tell that Darius was very receptive and engaged.  After sitting in for the first few sessions, his dad just gave me full control of his development

What is the relationship like with you and Darius Garland?

We are really close.  He is like a little brother to me.  We are always close.  We talk about basketball, but most of the time we talk about stuff outside of the game.  We like to joke around with one another.  

Did you know he could be an NBA player someday when you first started working with him?

Not early on.  I started to see it really come out of him his sophomore year.  The summer of his sophomore year he played with the St. Louis Eagles. He took a step with his confidence and an aggressive attitude.  He held his own against Trae Young and Collin Sexton. That is when I knew.

What took the longest to develop? Personally, it was hard for me to envision him ever being strong in his upper body. I was wrong, but it did arrive entering his senior season really.

He is a very quick learner.  If I had to pick one thing, I would say finishing.  That is one thing he really concentrated on becoming better at.  At his size, he has never been an above-the-rim guy, but understanding angles and his body. He worked on his step-throughs, floaters.  Being able to put the ball at different angles off the glass.  He has a knack for picking up and learning on the fly quickly.  

How will Darius Garland survive in the NBA? What makes him a player and person that can last in the grueling league for years not just games?

One of the things...he is a player that you don't have to motivate.  He is self-motivated.  Go-getter.  Definitely think that he has a true love for the game.  That is one thing that I have always seen in him. I have always believed that, when you get to the NBA, just being on that platform it is easy to get complacent.  You can get comfortable.  I have always felt like, guys that separate themselves with their work ethic. Darius has the work ethic to be the best version of himself.  He told me he wants to be a Hall-of-Famer. That is the standard that he wants to work towards.  Most importantly, he is a winner. As a point guard you are measured on your wins and losses.  That is the measuring stick of how you are viewed as a leader and a player. 

What other players did you or do you work with?

I worked with Jordan Bone.  I worked with him for the past two or three years.  Funny story about Jordan.  He played under our training company. We used to have a boys program.  He played under our team in the fifth grade.  I watched him grow and develop over the years.  His brother, Josh Bone, worked with him when he was young.  His skill development with us when he was young.  We got back and reconnected when he got to UT.  We worked together over the summer for the last two seasons. 

It is a blessing to have two guys from Nashville.

Jordan Bone (also in the NBA Draft pool) played at Ensworth.  To be blunt, I never would have guessed he would be in this position based on his high school career.  He has improved so much in the last four or five years.  How did he do it?

He put a lot of time for one.  From an improvement standpoint we focused on his confidence.  Myself, his older brother Josh, we focused on rebuilding his mind.  We always felt like his intangibles and physical tools were there.  We wanted to bring that aggressiveness and bring that dog out of him.  We had a conversation this summer.  I told him, 'If you want to have an opportunity to play in the NBA, the way the draft is set up at the point guard position...He just had to believe he can do it. 

When they lost to Loyola, I think he took about three days off and he came back home. We worked out for a week straight at six A.M.  That moment was a turning point for him. Locked in 

I think his game translates better in the NBA.  I think he will be able to showcase even more than he showed at UT.

Tell me how it feels to watch a young man like Darius mature into the player and person he is today...and know you had a substantial impact on his growth.

Honestly, I really think it is a blessing.  You don't get many opportunities like this. To be able to get this opportunity to be a part of his process since sixth grade.  To be able to watch him grow.  He came from a great family, his mom, his dad, his brothers.  You get a sense why he is the way he is when you meet them.  It is truly an honor, and a blessing.  I never take it for granted.  You rarely see guys like this.  Sometimes you get trainers who catch guys when they are in high school.  It will be surreal.  I dont think it will really hit me until I hear his name called and weatch him walk across the stage. 

It is a blessing. 

Will you attend the NBA Draft?

Yeah. I will be there. It is my first one. 

How do you work hard and devote yourself on days when you just don't have the mental energy?

It is the push and the drive of the responsibility that we serve as trainers and coaches.  Those days when you hit that wall, you try to push beyond that fatigue.  Those days you don't feel like going to the gym it is really the love of the game.  That challenges me to be the best version of myself.  I realize that me not being my best would affect the players I work with.  Just love the grind.  Starting 5 or 6 in the morning or not going to bed until 2 or 3 in the morning and then doing it all over again.  I know that my impact and my purpose is representing what God's wants me to do.  God blessed with you a gift and it is now my responsibility help as many young people as I can to reach their dreams. 

Can you give young players two small, but important tips that will help set them in the right direction...if they are serious about pursuing basketball beyond high school?

One thing I would definitely recommend is studying the game.  Not necessarily mixtapes. Nothing wrong with those, but definitely surrounding yourself with people, with a coach, with a trainer that is going to be honest with you but also be able to break the game down is huge.  Quite often, you would be surprised, I will ask younger kids to watch a pro guy I work out after them and they will see the exact same things worked on with him.  You can never outgrow fundamentals.  That will always go with you.  Surround yourself with a quality coach and a quality trainer that can teach the game and teach the little things about the game.  

As you move up, you have to understand your strengths and your weaknesses.  You have to understand your effectiveness and what will keep you on the court.  Say I am trying to make my way from the G-League to the NBA.  The mindframe is, 'I gotta score, I gotta score.'  They pay Kyrie Irving 30 million dollars to do that.  They pay Durant 30 million to do that.  What you need to do is be the best at your role.  If my role is going to be a great defensive player and a great three-point shooter I need to go to the gym and hit shots and understand tendencies of the players I am guarding. 

Jamal Richardson is always looking to help the next ambitious young man or woman.  To connect with him:

Instagram is @aagbasketball10 . 
Twitter is @allaroundgame10 .

Phone Number is 615-830-7393 .

For the best statewide coverage of high school basketball follow @PrepHoopsTN.