Back to back District 9-5A MVP’s, a bobblehead modeled after him, and three Division I collegiate offers, senior Zion Richardson has worked for much of his life to get to the point in his basketball career where he signs his National Letter of Intent.

And that day is Friday, as Richardson makes his decision to commit to play at either Campbell College, Wofford College, or Western Michigan University at Fowler Middle School at 6:30 p.m.

“I kind of wanted to be in the position where my high school season would just be an easy coast, so I wouldn’t have to worry about colleges and stuff,” Richardson said. “I took all my visits, took one to Lamar, [made] a decision on faith, committed to Lamar. Unfortunately that wasn’t the best decision for me due to unforeseen circumstances. So then I waited it out, I’m like ‘OK something better will come,’ other people in my corner were like ‘yes, someone will come.’ Now, I’m glad that I did it, I did decomit and I did wait as long as I did, because I have better options now than I think I had before.”

Revealing his final decision at the signing, Richardson was looking for certain things in a college and its basketball program.

“This is what I tell coaches as I go through the recruiting process, I narrow it down to three things,” Richardson said. “One being academics, somewhere I can go where I know I can excel, especially being at Liberty, a great academic school. Two being somewhere I know I can make an impact, coming in as a freshman and as reversitle as I am on the court as a player, I want to know that it’s a right fight and that my style of play complements their style of play on offense [and] defense. And then three, being going somewhere I can be developed not only on the court, but off the court; that’d be with becoming a better man, becoming a better leader.”

With only one percent of high school students moving on to play at the NCAA Division I level, Richardson finds pride in being one of the few athletes who have made it to where he is.

“It’s surreal, because you always think about not many kids, a small percentage, can get a DI scholarship and the fact that I have three good DI schools that have been very successful in Western Michigan, Campbell, and Wofford College,” Richardson said. “Those are three schools that cost a lot to get into for academics and they are also good athletic programs. So, just being that kid that is able to have a hat, be able to sign their National Letter of Intent is surreal.”