San Antonio Spurs 2010 NBA draftee Ryan Richards has been named to Great Britain’s Olympic men’s preliminary squad in preparation for the 
upcoming 2012 London games.
Standard Life GB head coach, Finch commented: “The GB basketball programme has come a long way since 2006 and the blend we have now of experienced talent with the younger guys is fantastic to see. We have the potential for a world class team who will surprise a few people this summer. The commitment from all our players to the programme once again is great and it’s also good to see our strength and depth continuing to increase year on year.”
The preliminary squad of 21 players will be cut down to 16 at the beginning of May with two additional places available for Futures team players. The final roster of 12 players heading to the Olympic Games this summer will then be announced early in July when the team returns to the UK from preparation camp in the USA.
Richards with be joined by fellow countrymen and current NBA players Ben Gordon, Luol Deng and Byron Mullens on the preliminary squad.
Keep in mind, Richards left the Lugano Tigers of the Swiss League for “personal reasons” and isn’t currently attached to a team. While with the Tigers, Richards was the team’s sixth leading scorer at 11.2 points per game and the team’s second leading rebounder at 6.7 rebounds per game.
Also, he averaged 22 points and eight rebounds for Great Britain’s U-20 team at the European Championships.
Should he make the team, this summer will give Spurs fans a great look at what the big man can bring to San Antonio should he ever make the leap to the NBA.
