Tennessee guard Josh Richardson (1) celebrates with teammate Yemi Makanjuola (0) after he was fouled by Savannah State guard Patrick Hendley (10) during the second half of an NIT first-round college basketball tournament game, Tuesday, March 13, 2012, in Knoxville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Knoxville News Sentinel, Adam Brimer)KNOXVILLE – Josh Richardson had never set foot outside of the United States.
So when the Tennessee sophomore stepped off the plane late last month in Poland for a basketball exhibition tour with Athletes in Action, he truly was venturing into a foreign land.
Unknown languages. Unusual culture. Unfamiliar food.
Two comforts, though, made Richardson’s two-week European trip memorable: hoops and his faith.
“It’ll be my first time going overseas, so that’ll be a big thing,” he said earlier this week. “I probably made friends that I’ll have for the rest of my life there [because] we have so much in common. It’s never very common that you see people who are radical about their faith in college basketball that put it out in the open.”