FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas junior wing Billy Richmond III is going to be doing it all for third-year coach John Calipari this season.
He'll have the ball in his hands as a point guard, shooting more and being the vocal leader for this Razorbacks team. Calipari challenged him early in the offseason to understand that this is his team. His teammates will look to him for guidance, especially when things aren't going their way.
"Just slowing the game down for everybody," Richmond said. "Just not going out there rushing and having them freshman mistakes where we just go out there and just play, not knowing what to do, just listening and coach and basically just meshing as a group come together. Long as we stay together everything fall in place."
When Calipari met with the media in July, he made it clear that this team belongs to Richmond. That responsibility goes beyond answering questions after practice or speaking up in the locker room.
His clear understanding of Arkansas' scheme has made him the built-in coach on the floor at all times because he's played through the battles of the SEC and NCAA Tournament. While he may not be completely comfortable in such a role at this point, Richmond knows what it takes to be successful at this level.
"Being more vocal as a leader makes me uncomfortable as myself," Richmond said. "Not being a speaker on the floor, but just being more vocal like I
said and just going out there and just telling teammates where to be and how we need things and what coach want from us."
Richmond made a name for himself early on in his college career for his work on the defensive end — as he brought endless effort to the floor when his name was called. And when Arkansas forced turnovers or caught long rebounds, he was already on the other end for a transition basket.
It took some trial and error for Richmond to figure things out completely on the offensive end but when he did it seemed to come easy. He scored in double figures in 13 of the final 16 games for the Razorbacks, including a stretch in February when he scored 20 or more points in five straight games.
Whether a play calls for him to dive on the floor for a loose ball, defending the best player on the other team or sprinting in transition, his knack for making the play has earned admiration from fans, but also Calipari, who refers to him as the GOAT.
That's not because he is considered the greatest player of all-time or anything like that. It's due to his relentless energy and undying hustle that Arkansas fans can certainly appreciate.
Calipari and his coaching staff are dialed in on making sure Richmond is the best he can be, and that means challenging him to focus on being an all-around hooper and teammate.
"[Coaches have challenged me to] shoot the ball more," Richmond said. "Just being more dominant in practice, getting on guys when I'm needed to and just being a vocal leader."
No. 12 Arkansas will take the floor on Saturday, Oct. 24 to open up exhibition play against No. 15 Gonzaga with tipoff set for 3 p.m. CT and will be streamed on SEC Network+.
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