What Kentucky basketball commit Billy Richmond III said about being back in Memphis

After being handed the game MVP plaque following his team’s overtime win Friday at Memphis Hoopfest, Billy Richmond III ran to the locker room, jumping and screaming.

His teammates were right behind him celebrating.  

Richmond scored 23 points in leading Camden High School (New Jersey) past Houston 71-66. But this win was different for the Panthers and for Richmond, who is from Memphis. The five-star prospect came back home and took down one of his former rival schools.

“It was a hard, dirty, grit-and-grind game and I love that,” said Richmond, who is ranked No. 23 in the country in the Class of 2024. “I just wanted to be a part of that. It was just fun playing against people I knew and people in the stands watching us, coming down here to showcase our talent.” 

It’s the first of two games Richmond and Camden High School will play this weekend in the Memphis Hoopfest. The Panthers (8-1) will play Whitehaven (10-6) on Saturday night at Bartlett. Tip-off is at 6:30 at McDonald Insurance Arena.  

That game will be a little more personal for Richmond, who is back in Memphis for the second time in seven months since he transferred to Camden after his sophomore season at Memphis East.

“I’m ready for that one,” he said. “I went to East and that’s a rivalry and all my brothers go there. It’s going to be a great game. It’s going to be a lot of trash-talking and all that. But at the end of the day we’re just competing.” 

He recently committed to Kentucky, saying it was a close decision between John Calipari’s Wildcats and the Memphis Tigers and Penny Hardaway.  

“It came down to where I knew I would fit in and just where I trust the coaches a lot and they trust me,” Richmond said. 

His father, Billy Richmond Jr., played at Memphis when Calipari was the coach there. The elder Richmond, who attended Friday’s game, had criticized Memphis fans over the school’s NIL, adding a twist in the recruiting process.

Richmond said that his dad having played for both the Tigers and Calipari had no effect on his decision to choose Kentucky. He also said that even though he didn’t pick Memphis, Hardaway is like “an uncle” to him.  

“Penny is like blood to me,” Richmond said. “I grew up around him. It was hard not to go there.” 

He’s in town for the Memphis Hoopfest and heads back to New Jersey on Sunday. Until then, he’s cherishing the time at home and looking to snag one more win and complete the sweep of Memphis area teams.  

“I just want to get a win, that’s about it,” he said. “Come to Memphis, go 2-0, eat some good food, spend some time with my family and play some great basketball.” 

MELROSE BASKETBALL LEGEND: ‘Melrose made me’: Rubin Jackson to have basketball jersey retired Friday night

ELITE EIGHT: Meet The Commercial Appeal’s Elite Eight boys basketball players for Class of 2024

Reach Wynston Wilcox at wwilcox@gannett.com and on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, @wynstonw__.