My All-Time Favorite Players: 1st - Josh Richardson

This countdown concludes with my favorite Tennessee basketball player of all-time. Josh Richardson. I always really enjoyed watching Josh play with the the Vols. After he had already solidified himself as my favorite Vol of all-time, he joined my favorite NBA team, the Miami Heat. Josh was born in Edmond, Oklahoma, attending Santa Fe High School in Edmond. He averaged 16.5 PPG, 6.2 RPG and 3.6 APG as a high school senior and was named to The Oklahoman's Super 5 first team.

One of my fondest memories of Josh's time in Knoxville came after the games concluded. I would finish getting autographs from players and walk past Josh, who was typically sitting with his family. One time, I casually said, "See ya, Josh." He would say 'See ya next time' and thank me for coming to the game that night. This occurred more than once and I always found it to be cool. This aspect, along with his amazing skills on the court are why I enjoyed him so much.

In Josh's freshman season (2011-12), the first start of his career came in a win over No. 13 Florida. He recorded 7 points, 2 rebounds, an assist, a block and a steal in that game. On the year, he averaged 2.9 points per game (PPG), 1.4 assists per game (APG) in 16 minutes per game (MPG). He played in all 34 games, making all 9 of his starts consecutively. He finished the season second on the team with 66 deflections, along with 19 blocks and 18 steals.

Josh had a great sophomore year, starting off with 11 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals against UMass early in the season. He had a terrific performance against Memphis, totaling 20 points and 9 rebounds, before accumulating 16 points against Mississippi State. In a matchup with South Carolina, he dominated in nearly every category, posting 7 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 1 block. Later, the Vols took down No. 8 Florida, as Richardson contributed 7 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists, along with a block and a steal. He had an equally impressive outing at Auburn, logging 9 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. Additionally, in an SEC Tournament matchup with Alabama, Josh scored 16 points, to go along with 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. Josh started in all 33 games, scoring 7.9 PPG on the season and led led the team with 1.1 steals per game (SPG). He was also second on the team with 4.3 rebounds per game (RPG).

Josh played extremely well in his third year on Rocky Top. Early in the season, he had 13-point games against Xavier, UTEP and Tennessee Tech. He then recorded 19 points and 8 rebounds against Morehead State, before a 20-point outing in the 87-52 throttling of Virginia. In a matchup with Ole Miss, Richardson logged 16 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 blocks. Josh excelled in the 2014 NCAA Tournament, posting 17 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal in the First Four matchup against Iowa. He followed that performance up with 15 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks and a steal against UMass. His 26 points versus Mercer sent the Vols to the Sweet Sixteen, where he capped off a terrific season with a 19-point effort against Michigan. Richardson averaged 10.3 PPG, 2.9 RPG and 1.5 APG on the year. He shot 34% from 3-point range, while recording 27 steals (second on the team) and 30 blocks (third on the team). His defensive effort earned him a spot on the SEC All-Defensive Team.

Josh performed well in his first 3 collegiate seasons, but he was an absolute beast as as senior. He earned the first start of his career in the season-opener of his senior season, totaling 17 points, before recording 19 points and 8 rebounds against Texas Southern. Then, his 16-point, 5-rebound effort against Kansas was followed by 17 points versus Kansas State. Josh recorded 20 points and a whopping 6 steals against No. 15 Butler. He later logged 17 points against NC State, 19 against Tennessee Tech and 16 points, with 8 assists against Tennessee State. He balled out in the non-conference finale against ETSU, with 19 points, 6 assists and 3 steals. He stuffed the stat sheet against Arkansas, positing 20 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. Later, in one of the most impressive performances of his career, he scored a career-high 30 points against Mississippi State.

Josh totaled 27 points in an overtime road victory over Vanderbilt and recorded 20 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists in a home rematch with the Commodores. Richardson went out in style, posting 14 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals in the final home game of his Tennessee career. In a memorable SEC Tournament win over Vanderbilt, Richardson scored 22 points, before recording the first double-double of his career, a 22-point, 10-rebound effort against Arkansas. At the season's end, Josh had started all 32 games for the Vols, leading the team with 16 PPG, 3.6 APG and 2.1 SPG. Additionally, he shot 46.1% from the field, making the All-SEC first team and SEC All-Defensive team as a senior.

During his senior season, Josh surpassed 1,000 career points, finishing 28th on the Vols all-time scoring list with 1,252 career points. He finished his career at Tennessee with the third-most games played in school history, with 136, the ninth-most minutes played, 3,802, the ninth-most games started, 110 and was 16th in blocks with 88 in his career. Additionally, Josh finished tenth in Tennessee history with 147 career steals.

Josh is in the NBA now, playing for the Miami Heat. He was selected by Miami with the 40th overall pick in the 2015 draft. I was very happy that he joined my favorite NBA squad, because it is even easier to root for him, as opposed to if he had gone to a team I disliked. He is excelling with the Heat this season. Josh will always be my favorite Tennessee basketball player.