Book Richardson's first full video podcast for Silver Waves Media this week included a surprise appearance and "question" from former UA associate head coach Mark Phelps.
“Love you, man. Love you man,” Phelps told Richardson. “I told you when we first got together, how talented you are, how good at your job you are. What a great heart you have. None of that’s changed."
Richardson immediately put his head in his hands and started crying. Both he and Phelps have been removed from the UA staff in recent years: Richardson was fired as an assistant coach in 2018 and later imprisoned after admitting to accepting $20,000 in bribes, while Phelps was taken off the bench in February 2019 and later had his contract expire as associate head coach after he was reportedly accused of an NCAA violation involving a recruit's transcript.
Phelps continued.
“You’re a big time person,” Phelps told Richardson. “You care the right way. . … You're talented. People love to say you're a good guy. You know what they don't say and they should say most often? How talented you are. You're the only guy I know that can work a room like you can work. You know the game, you teach the game. You connect with players.
“Look, I've been doing training here in Tucson for the last six months. And just like you, I'm dealing with younger players. … there's no better eighth grade coach in America right now than Book Richardson. And the best is yet to come.”
Ryan Silver, who runs Silver Waves Media and the West Coast Elite club team that has a strong recruiting tie to the Wildcats, said he hopes to help Richardson get an NBA job within a year or two. Silver said on the podcast that Richardson’s imprisonment was “complete and total (expletive)” and said afterward he wanted to help Richardson by hiring him to do weekly Silver Waves podcasts that are mostly intended to guide other coaches.
Phelps, who is expected to move soon to Northern California as the new coach at Prolific Prep, joined Richardson and more than 30 other coaches on Zoom as Richardson spoke from New York, where he has been working with the New York Gauchos club program.
One of the coaches asked Richardson if he wanted to return to college coaching. He expressed both enthusiasm and significant doubt.
“Knowing what I know now, I think I'd be a huge asset,” Richardson said. “I have an even bigger message now and I’d unequivocally love it but unfortunately that’s not gonna happen.”
While Richardson received overwhelming support from the coaches asking questions on the video podcast, he fielded two questions asking him whether he received any support or contact from UA coach Sean Miller since leaving the staff in 2017.
“I would have wanted a lot more support but I also understood Arizona wasn’t my ally at the time, they were fighting the case, and I understand that now,” Richardson said, later adding “I’d be lying to you all if I said it didn't hurt. You know, I also understood that this is very unique - this is the first time that this happened in the history of college basketball.
“So everything that happened was very new, very fresh for everyone and I'm at a point in my life now where I now see that. I wanted to talk to him. And as I go forward now, man, I wish the university nothing but the best. I’ve got love for the university. I want Sean to have the best success, because with me harboring on that, I can't move forward.”
