Charles Richardson Jr. Season 2003-04

2005-06 (Junior)
Charles Richardson Jr. started his junior campaign later than the rest of the team as he was slowed by a preseason injury and missed the first three contests of the year. After returning to the rotation in the second week, he began a transition into the starting lineup, where he remained over the final 21 games of the season.

On the year, Richardson averaged a career-best 4.4 points and 2.6 rebounds per game while playing 776 minutes to rank fifth on the squad. On the defensive end, Richardson tied for the team lead with 34 steals and paced the squad by drawing 17 charging fouls.

As he looked to develop his offensive game throughout the season, Richardson steadied a young Husker attack by averaging 3.33 assists per contest to rank 10th in the Big 12 Conference. His assist:turnover ratio, which has improved every season at Nebraska, reached an all-time high at 1.92:1 to place fourth in the league standings. He was also the first Husker in four years to post triple-figure assists, as he dished out 100 assists against 52 turnovers.

During non-conference play, Richardson eased back into action following his early injury but finished non-conference play with 32 assists in 10 games. He came off the bench seven times, including every contest of an impressive three-game stretch when he posted 13 assists against just one turnover.

Richardson's top performance came in the middle game as he had an eight-assist, no-turnover contest against North Carolina A&T. It was his second consecutive solid all-around performance as he had six points, six rebounds and four assists against one turnover in the Huskers' previous victory two days before against Chicago State.

Richardson opened Big 12 Conference play with a bang as he posted a career effort against nationally ranked Oklahoma. Despite playing against two of the bigger guards in the conference, Richardson torched the No. 12 Sooners as he hit 4-of-6 field-goal attempts, including draining 3-of-5 from outside the arc, to score a career-best 15 points. He completed the solid effort with three rebounds and four assists in the upset.

The Huskers trailed the Sooners by five points with 40 seconds left before Richardson hit his final 3-pointer to pull NU within two, 58-56, and set up the winning play. After OU turned the ball over on its next possession, Richardson ran the offense to perfection, getting the clock to under 10 seconds remaining before making the assist on a game-winning 3-pointer with five ticks left.

Richardson continued his solid play throughout conference action, including a seven-point game with seven assists and one turnover at Iowa State for the best road performance of his career. When he wasn't getting to the free throw line against the Cyclones -- he was 5-of-6 at the stripe -- Richardson was feeding the post and center Aleks Maric. Richardson's pin-point passing helped Maric post an NU and Big 12 Conference sophomore record 37 points on 13-of-15 shooting.

In the Big 12 Championship, Richardson struggled with his shot but still held the Huskers together, guiding Nebraska to two wins and a spot in the semifinals. He had a 5:1
assist:turnover ratio (15 to 3), and added 10 rebounds and three steals while helping NU equal its best league tourney showing during the Big 12 era.

In the tournament opener, Richardson posted his second straight solid rebounding game against Missouri. Richardson had a career-best seven rebounds in the regular-season finale against the Tigers and then turned around four days later to post six more boards. He also had 11 assists against just two turnovers in the final two games vs. MU.

 

2004-05 (Sophomore)
Richardson averaged 2.0 points, 1.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game as a sophomore while playing in 26 contests, including making two starts. He was third on the team with 54 assists despite playing just 15.0 minutes per game on the year. His assist:turnover ratio of 1.86:1 was also third on the team, as he had the second-fewest turnovers (29) of any player with a start.

Richardson was highly productive down the stretch, as he gained 3.9 points, 1.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists over the final nine contests of the season. During that period, Richardson averaged 20.8 minutes per game and hit an impressive 73.3 percent (11-of-15) from the floor, including 66.7 percent (4-of-6) from 3-point range. Before his stretch run, Richardson had hit just 6-of-30 field-goal attempts (20.0 percent) while draining just 3-of-17 3-point attempts (17.6 percent).

In his first start of the season against Missouri on the road, Richardson picked up a season-high seven assists against one turnover while collecting three boards and one steal in 20 minutes. Richardson's seven assists against the Tigers tied for the second-highest single-game total during the season by a Husker.

During the last seven games of the year, Richardson collected at least eight points three times, including a season-high 10 points in a victory over Colorado at home. Richardson hit 5-of-6 field-goal attempts against the Buffs and added three assists without a turnover and one steal in 18 minutes. His previous career high had been eight points on two occasions as a freshman.

In the final game of the season, Richardson gained his second start of the year and pitched in eight points, five assists against one turnover with one board and one steal in a season-high 30 minutes.

It was possibly the most complete game of his career although not unusual for him against the Tigers. In Nebraska's three games against Missouri including the postseason, Richardson gained 12 assists against just two turnovers while shooting 50.0 percent (5-of-10) from the floor and adding three steals.

 

2003-04 (Freshman)
Richardson had a solid first season with the Huskers, as he played in all 31 contests, including 10 starts, while averaging 16.3 minutes per game. The Maywood, Ill., native averaged 2.2 points and 2.0 rebounds per game as a rookie while hitting 40.9 percent from the floor and 42.9 percent from 3-point range. The defensive whiz added 17 steals to rank fifth on the squad.

Richardson added a team-high 66 assists (2.2 apg) against just 36 turnovers for a 1.83:1 assist:turnover ratio, the best ratio of any Husker to play at least 25 games. He had 26 assists against 16 turnovers in Big 12 action while playing all 16 games, including five starts. Richardson had at least three assists in 12 games, including a career-best nine assists against Tennessee.

During a six-game stretch between Dec. 29 at Minnesota and Jan. 21 against Baylor, Richardson recorded 21 assists against zero turnovers, including no turnovers in his first 91 minutes of Big 12 action. He went more than 130 minutes during the stretch without a turnover.

Richardson had a season-high eight points against South Florida and Kansas. He added a solid 3-for-4 shooting day against Oklahoma in the Big 12 Tournament.

Richardson held his own when rebounding, adding 60 defensive boards and three offensive rebounds. He had at least three rebounds in 11 contests, including a then-career-high six boards at Missouri and at Oklahoma State.

Off the court, he was named to the Big 12 Commissioner's Fall Honor Roll in 2003.

 

Before Nebraska
As a senior, Richardson was the top-ranked point guard in the state of Illinois as he led Proviso East to a 25-4 record and a top-25 regular-season national ranking under Coach Troy Jackson. On the court, he averaged 15 points, eight assists, six steals and five rebounds per game, as Proviso East finished the season ranked 12th in the state.

Richardson, who was one of the top defensive guards in Chicago, was an all-conference selection and nominated for All-America honors, earning honorable-mention accolades from FutureStars.com. Throughout his career, Richardson was paired with former Michigan State star and 2006 first-round NBA Draft pick Shannon Brown at Proviso East, who was the top high school shooting guard in 2002-03. The duo was also in the starting backcourt at Proviso East with Dee Brown in 2002, who was the Big Ten's top freshman in 2003 and led Illinois to the 2005 national title game.

As a junior, Richardson helped Proviso East to a 26-3 record in 2001-02 while reaching the sectional final. Richardson averaged 12 points, six steals, five assists and four rebounds.

Richardson started his prep career on solid ground, as he averaged more than 10 points, four assists and four steals his first two years of high school. As a sophomore, he helped the Pirates to a 25-4 mark.

Following his sophomore and junior seasons, Richardson played summer ball under Coach Larry Butler with the Illinois Warriors, an elite AAU team he helped to the 17-and-under national title in 2001.

A National Honor Society member off the court, Richardson carried a 3.8 grade-point average as an honor roll student.

 

Personal
The grandson of Dorothy and Thornton Callum, Charles is the son of Demetrius Callum and was born Oct. 12, 1984. Charles' mentor is Gene Mobley. Charles has two sisters, Takisha and Carolyn, and one brother, Dominique, and is majoring in English at Nebraska. Richardson chose the Huskers after receiving interest from Marquette, DePaul, Mississippi State and Southern Illinois.