Transfer Berrien playing for Richards again at UNCP

Dec. 8—PEMBROKE — When Deon Berrien and Drew Richards first met, the latter sent the former a photo wearing his jersey during his brief pro basketball career with the Erdgas Ehingen Steeples in Germany. It "explains everything" about their relationship, Berrien said.

"One of my biggest goals is being able to provide for my family and make money from (basketball)," Berrien said. "He sent me his jersey (photo); he was like 'I feel like this can be you in the future if you come in my program, and you develop and you buy in to what I want to give out, the game plan.'"

Berrien played for Richards on the Lander men's basketball team starting in 2019, and now the transfer forward has reunited with Richards to play his final collegiate season this winter at The University of North Carolina at Pembroke.

The journey to UNCP for Berrien, an Augusta, Georgia native, started at the junior-college level Northern Oklahoma-Tonkawa, where he played for Donnie Jackson. Shortly after Richards took the Lander head coaching position in 2019, after five years as an assistant on the UNCP staff, he reached out to Jackson, a longtime friend in coaching from Richards' time in the midwest, and learned about Berrien.

"The first thing he told me about Deon was 'coach, he's a dog,'" Richards said. "In basketball terms that's usually pretty good."

The recruiting process unfolded and Berrien committed to play for Richards at Lander, located in Greenwood, South Carolina.

"We knew he was going to be special," Richards said. "The kid worked really hard, he wanted to be good, he put the hours in, he played with a toughness about him."

Berrien averaged a team-high 12.8 points per game, with 6.0 rebounds per contest, with the Bearcats in 2019-20. The Bearcats went on to win the Peach Belt Conference Tournament title, but that came after an adjustment period, Berrien said.

"It was a struggle at first, but midseason, we had one practice and he opened up all the positions, and it was like an all-out war," Berrien said. "From that point forward, we just clicked, and everybody knew their role."

That day in practice was a turning point for the Bearcats team — and Berrien remembers a turning point for him individually in his relationship with his Richards in a game against Francis Marion.

"This dude was trying to have his way with me," Berrien said. "(Richards) came and got in my ear and was like 'man, this man thinks he's better than you, you've got to do something about that.' I'd never had anybody talk to me like that, it was just different."

While Berrien's numbers weren't as strong individually in the PBC Tournament final against Columbus State, Richards says he saw growth on that particular day.

"He was a great teammate, and I thought that was a huge step for him," Richards said. "Most players, if your shots aren't going in, you're getting frustrated and things like that, but I remember him taking a huge step mentally in that game, and I thought he got a lot better from there."

That season's NCAA Tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A day later, Richards' return to UNCP as head coach was announced.

"I walked into his office, and I just looked at him and I broke down crying," Berrien said. "We'd just won a championship and I'd built this connection with him."

Berrien averaged 13.4 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game last season under new Bearcats coach Omar Wattad. With all winter athletes being granted an extra year of eligibility by the NCAA due to the pandemic, Berrien decided to transfer elsewhere for his extra season, and hoped to find a Division-I opportunity.

"Whenever he put himself in the (transfer) portal, we just reached out because I wanted to say hi," Richards said. "My son always talked about him, and we got to FaceTime a little bit, and I just said, hey, if you don't find the right fit at the Division-I level, we'd love to have you at UNCP; I'm not going to put a lot of pressure on you, just whatever's the best decision for you."

"I just like the fact he gave me the opportunity to figure things out and then at the end still have him as a choice; that was just special," Berrien said. "One day, I had tried my last D-I (school), and they told me my transcripts didn't check off, and I automatically knew I'm coming here (to UNCP), I'm coming to play under him. There was no other choice; I wouldn't want to be at no other D-II but with him."

Richards now has a unique view of Berrien's career, having coached him in two programs and seeing the improvements he's made over the last three seasons.

"I knew what Deon's strengths were as far as 3-point shooting, being able to attack the basket using both hands, face-up midrange, posting up, he can do all those things," Richards said. "But the thing that he improved a lot is his ability to handle the basketball and his ability to make good decisions with the basketball."

Berrien, who is averaging 13.1 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game this season,has a similar perspective as the only player to play for Richards at both of the coach's head-coaching stops.

"(At Lander) he had a straight face every day, straight business, but now he's more open, he laughs with us, he jokes with us," Berrien said. "He treats us like we're his own kids; you really feel like he's a father figure in a way. That's the biggest thing — coaching, he's got down pat; basketball he's got down pat. Off the court, learning your players, he's getting that figured out very quickly."

As the Braves season continues, Berrien and Richards will return to Lander when the Bearcats host the Braves on Jan. 1.

"I know there's going to be some extra things added to it, but I'm just trying to get a win," Berrien said. "That's all I really want. I feel like that win can help us keep growing together; that's my biggest goal."

"I'm just excited to get back to Greenwood and see some people that were really important to my family there, and I'm sure Deon feels the same way about some of his former teammates and former coaches and people in the community," Richards said.

And as the 2021-22 season unfolds, with the Braves among the Conference Carolinas contenders and currently ranked fifth regionally, Richards and Berrien hope to have the opportunity to add another championship ring to the one they won together at Lander.

"(The Lander ring) is on my desk in my room, just sitting there," Berrien said. "Waiting to add more to it."

Chris Stiles can be reached at 910-816-1977 or by email at [email protected] You can follow him on Twitter at @StilesOnSports.