Freshman makes quick impact
ALBANY — He made his college debut against Syracuse at the Dome. His second match came against Cornell, the No. 2-ranked team in the country.
That’s quite a baptism to Division I lacrosse for University at Albany’s Silas Richmond, the highly regarded freshman attack from Delta, British Columbia.
Though the Great Danes lost both games, Richmond scored a pair of goals in each and leads the team with four goals (on just nine shots) entering Saturday’s game against Drexel at Casey Stadium.
“It’s been a really cool experience to get out there with the guys,” Richmond said. “Guys that I’ve been watching for years here like (senior attack) Graydon Hogg, kind of looking up to him and being able to play with him in cool venues like the (JMA Wireless) Dome and here, a lot of fans here. It’s definitely a cool experience.”
Ualbany coach Scott Marr likened the 6-foot-4, 190-pound Richmond to a right-handed version of Great Danes associate head coach Merrick Thomson, the former Ualbany star who recruited Richmond. Thomson, a left-handed shot, graduated in 2007 as Ualbany’s career scoring leader with 188 goals and 244 points, which currently rank third and fourth, respectively.
As Marr spoke after practice, Richmond carried
off a large whiteboard that’s used to design plays. A different player usually removes the whiteboard each day as a chore to keep them “level-headed,” Marr said.
“He’s a good player,” Marr said. “Silas is a really enthusiastic kid for lacrosse. He lives and breathes it. He shoots around probably more than anybody on the team and does extra work, probably he’s in the top five in our team, maybe top three as extra work is being put in. So he loves to shoot and just has a knack for the game, too. He’s a smart player.”
Marr said he’s trying to not pigeonhole Richmond as merely a shooter and wants him to work on carrying the ball and being an
off-the-ball player.
But Richmond still showed that accurate shot against Cornell by roofing one from the left side that tied the match at 9 in the fourth quarter before the Big Red ran off three unanswered goals for a 12-10 victory.
“I feel I’ve played pretty good,” Richmond said. “I’m kind of just an inside guy. People have been making me look good, setting me up inside, so I’ve got to do my job and put it in the net.”
At first, Richmond was committed to doing that job at Bellarmine University, a Division I school in Louisville, Ky. That’s where he initially gave his verbal commitment during the COVID -19 pandemic. But he changed his mind and switched to Ualbany.
Richmond said he always admired the Ualbany program and grew up watching highlight tape of the spectacular Thompson trio — brothers Lyle and Miles and cousin Ty.
“Definitely a big change from Kentucky to New York, but I’m very happy with my decision,” Richmond said. “I love it here. I love the guys, love my roommates, so I’m very happy to be here. I just kind of got on the phone with the coaches here and they’re just great guys . ... It’s kind of a bit of a dream to come here.”
Before he arrived at Ualbany, Richmond had a terrific summer. He scored 24 goals in four games to help Canada win a gold medal at the world junior championships in Winnipeg. Richmond was named All-world First Team.
“That was an awesome experience, as well,” Richmond said. “Getting to meet a bunch of people from different provinces. I was the only B.C. guy there, so now I have lifelong friends that I talk to and text all the time. It was definitely a really cool experience. And the coaching we had was very good. We just got it done on the floor. It was a good time. Super good experience.”
Saturday’s high temperature is forecast at 27 degrees, so game time was moved from noon to 1 p.m. It shouldn’t faze Richmond with his Canadian upbringing.
“It’s fine,” he said. “Once you get into the game, you don’t feel it too much.”