The Man Behind the 1,000 Points: Nathan Richardson
- Braeden Jones
- 18 minutes ago
- 3 min read
By Braeden Jones
OLIVET, Mich. - The name Nathan Richardson is one that is known throughout the entire campus at The University of Olivet. A vital member of the men’s basketball team who has achieved several accomplishments. It’s easy to assume that’s all he is, but there's more to him than just a basketball player.
To many, he’s “Nate the Great.” He has scored over 1,000 career points, been named First- and Second-Team All-MIAA and MIAA Defensive Player of the Year, and has had a highlight appear on ESPN SportsCenter Daily Top 10. But Nate is more than just a basketball player.
Nate grew up in Flint, Mich. His parents were in his life. His dad had worked on the security detail for the CEO of a major company, and his mom works in the healthcare field.
“I lived with her pretty much the entirety of my life. My dad, a few years after I was born, moved to Arizona [for work]. He was always in my life,” said Richardson.
Around the age of 8, Nate began to play the drums. He would eventually play drums at his church as a kid. It was around this age that he would discover his love for basketball from his cousins, whom he would tag along with and who would teach him how to play.
“In church, I would get yelled at because I would always have little church shoes on and little church clothes and stuff, and I'd be outside playing basketball,” said Richardson.
During the 2025-26 season, Richardson scored his 1,000th career point and was named First Team All-MIAA as well as MIAA Defensive Player of the Year. Nate is an athlete who is commonly in the public eye; he’s been a part of several social media posts promoting the team and the university, has been interviewed multiple times throughout the season, and had a celebration thrown for him at the end of a game against Alma after scoring his 1,000th career point. But that doesn’t mean he likes the attention.
“Nathan is very introverted and somewhat shy. Always been calm & laid back. A real humble spirit. He will sit back and observe and take notes before addressing anything or anyone,” said his mother, DeAnna Richardson.
Off the court, Nate is a criminal justice major who doesn’t let his success change who he is.
“He’s just a real, genuine person. It's hard to find people like that, and he’s not going to sugarcoat nothing, he’s going to keep it real,” said teammate and friend Jamahr Motley.
After a disappointing end to his season after a loss to Trine in the second round of the MIAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, Richardson is looking towards next season.
The goal remains the same for us going into next season. Playing confident and being confident in everything that we do on the court as a team is the number 1 goal, and whatever the result of us doing that in every game, we will live with it,” said Richardson.
Nate hasn’t changed much since he was a kid. He still carries his love for basketball and still plays the drums at his church. He hopes to continue his basketball career when he’s graduated from college or gets a job in a federal office. Either way, he’ll remain the same humble person he has been through all of his success. Continuing to have a chip on his shoulder.