Nick Richards adjusts to life in Lexington

By LARRY VAUGHT

Adjusting to life in Lexington has been a bit different for freshman center Nick Richards.

“In New York there are buildings all over the place and people everywhere. The city never sleeps. People are always out. New York is so loud at night and Kentucky is so quiet. It's been hard to get used to at times for me,” Richards said during Thursday’s UK Media Day.

He has also been flattered by the extra attention he gets from UK fans in Lexington.

“Not a lot of people (in New York) come up and want pictures. Here they recognize me. That is actually pretty cool. You have to stay humble. You can't let it get to your head. You can't let it overwhelm, but it is pretty cool,” he said.

He already knew what to expect from coach John Calipari and was more than willing to listen to his advice about improving his conditioning and not stressing about how his offensive skills.

“He just tells you the truth. I don't like being around guys that sugarcoat stuff or make things seem easy. I trust him to tell me what I need and not what I want to hear. He keeps it real. He's going to tell you when you're messing up and doing bad. But you need that,” Richards said.

He likes being on a team full of five-star players because that forces him to get better. He also likes that winning is the top priority for everyone.

“We all just trying to learn how to play Kentucky basketball. How to show the world that we're different and I think we can,” Richards said.