American big man Kadiri Richard has put pen to paper as the third signing for the Worthing Thunder for the forthcoming BBL season.
Power forward/Centre 29 year old Richard, who stands 6'8" tall, comes to the Thunder following spells playing professionally in America for the Halifax Rainmen in the ABA and the Wilmington Sea Dawgs in the PBL, in both cases topping the league in blocked shots per game and becoming a huge fan favourite for both his performances on court and work off court.
Richard attended the prestigious Oak Hill Academy as a teenager before attending Virginia Union University, which produced NBA Stars Charles Oakley and Ben Wallace. Whilst playing for the Rainmen, Kadiri averaged 4.7 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game and then in the recently finished PBL season he amassed 5.9 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks per game. Richard will add some defensive steel to the Thunder, whilst being a dangerous offensive force, particularly around the basket.
Operations Director Alan Sweetman-Hicks is excited by Richard's capture: "Kadiri is a tremendously athletic individual whom I am sure will be popular with our supporters. I anticipate that he will lead the league in blocked shots, but he will also rebound at both ends and be hard to stop around the basket on the offensive end. He has never been asked to lead a team on the offensive end too, and I am confident that he will be able to do so. As well as his on-court role, he has also been happy dealing with the community involvement of being a professional basketball player so he will be useful to us there too. I hope he will enjoy his time in the UK."
Thunder's 2009/10 BBL season preparations start with the Thunder Cup on the 19th September. More details to follow soon.
Source: www.bbl.org.uk
