Now in his ninth season at Arizona, Emanuel “Book” Richardson has firmly established himself as one of the finest recruiters in college basketball.
Richardson joined the Arizona basketball family in the spring of 2009, and is currently in his 11th season as a member of Sean Miller’s coaching staff.
His efforts in building and strengthening UA’s recruiting ties across the country has helped Arizona land top-10 recruiting classes in each of the last seven years, including five top-five classes during that period of time.
Richardson’s contributions at Arizona have not only been felt on the recruiting trail, however. As a member of the UA staff for the entire Miller Era, Richardson has helped guide the Wildcats to a 220-66 (.769) record, five Sweet 16s, three Elite Eights, four Pac-12 regular-season championships and a pair of Pac-12 Tournament titles.
Arizona’s recruiting hauled in another top-three recruiting class in 2016, which included a pair of McDonald’s All-Americans in Kobi Simmons. The 2016 class also featured two other five-star prospects, including Rawle Alkins from Richardson’s hometown of New York City.
Alkins was a Pac-12 All-Freshmen Team selection in a loaded freshmen class in the conference in 2016-17. Alkins, an everyday starter, set numerous rebounding records for UA freshman during his first year in Tucson.
His work with former Arizona forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson during the latter’s two years on campus helped him evolve from a dynamic college player to the 23rd overall selection in the 2015 NBA Draft.
After being named to the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team in 2014 for his dynamic and versatile efforts in a reserve role, Hollis-Jefferson blossomed into a first-team All-Pac-12 selection as a sophomore with a larger role.
Richardson spent two seasons at Xavier (2007-09) before his arrival in Tucson, helping guide the Musketeers to 57 wins, two conference titles and a pair of deep NCAA Tournament runs. XU posted a school-record 30 wins and advanced to the Elite Eight in his first season on the bench.
Prior to his tenure at Xavier, Richardson was the Director of Basketball for the New York Gauchos/Teamwork Foundation in the Bronx from 2005-07. He also served as an assistant coach at St. Raymond’s High School for Boys in 2004 and was the head coach for ninth and 10th-grade players in the New York Gauchos system in 2003.
Richardson’s U-18 red team captured the gold medal at the 2007 USA Basketball Men’s Youth Development Festival, making him the youngest coach ever to win the event, and the first AAU coach to be selected by USA Basketball as a festival head coach.
Richardson was an assistant coach at Marist College in 2004-05, where he coordinated the Red Foxes’ recruiting, scouting and individual workouts, focusing on guard play and offensive skill development. He spent three seasons as an assistant at Monroe College, an NJCAA program in the Bronx. His 2002-03 club went 31-3, won the Region 15 and District 3 titles and finished fifth at the NJCAA national tournament.
A 1998 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown with a bachelor’s degree in business marketing and management, Richardson’s coaching career began at his alma mater as the associate head coach in 1999. He helped lead the Division II Mountain Cats to a 23-4 record, the best in school history.
A native of the Bronx, Richardson and his wife, Erin, have three children, daughters Chassidy and Sere, and son E.J.
