MSU's Richardson Closes Out Regular Season With Third-Straight Conference Award
Following another impressive outing in Michigan State's Senior Day victory over Michigan, Spartan freshman guard Jase Richardson has once again earned recognition from the Big Ten for another stellar week.
The conference announced on Monday that Richardson has been named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week, making this the third-straight week he has received the honor.
Richardson dropped 18 points while adding five rebounds, three assists and a steal against the Wolverines. Last Thursday, he finished with 22 points, four rebounds, two assists and a steal in the Spartans' road win over Iowa.
He drained a pair of 3-pointers in each game; the Spartans, as a team, made nine triples in each contest.
Richardson has averaged nearly 17 points per game in his last nine contests. The freshman started the season strong and showed glimpses of a star, but it was his 29-point outing against Oregon last month that really ignited him turning the corner and becoming perhaps Michigan State's best player.
Richardson, of course, is a Spartan legacy, being the son of Michigan State legend and national champion Jason Richardson, who also played under Tom Izzo.
But the former four-star prospect was expected to be much more than that. But probably nobody saw this level of an impact coming this soon.
"I felt like coming in, my playmaking ability, just being able to get downhill and then create for myself and create for others was probably going to help the team," Richardson said after Sunday's game.
"We have a lot of great scorers, but if we add me onto that, we can create a lot more space for everybody so everybody can get more shots. I feel like that was one of the biggest things coming out of the summer."
This regular season, Richardson averaged 11.6 points per game, 3.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists. He shot 52.4% from the field and 38.8% from deep.
Richardson will be a key part of however far Michigan State goes in this week's Big Ten Tournament and the NCAA Tournament.
He and the Spartans will begin a quest for the Big Ten Tournament title in Friday's quarterfinals.
