Former BYU Guard Richie Saunders to Visit Kentucky

Mark Pope had so much fun hosting Amari Williams on an official visit, that the Kentucky head coach decided to bring another transfer portal prospect to campus right away.

Sources tell KSR’s Matt Jones that former BYU guard Richie Saunders is expected to be on Kentucky’s campus tonight for a visit that extends through Monday. Saunders entered the transfer portal eight days ago and will have two years of eligibility remaining.

Saunders is a wiry 6-foot-5 shooting guard from Riverton, UT who was a three-star prospect when he committed to play for Mark Pope in 2020. He’s been a solid sixth man for Pope, who had an interesting way of describing Saunders.

“He literally only knows one speed,” Pope told the Deseret News. “He can’t slow it down. He can’t turn it off. Like, he is really special. You talk about a guy that vomits his whole heart and soul on the floor every single game. That’s pretty cool.

“There is no coach in America that would not do anything they could to get Richie Saunders on their roster,” Pope continued. “You know exactly what you are getting intensity and energy-wise every single game. … To have a guy with that motor that is that constant and never goes away is pretty special.”

Saunders appeared in every game through his first two seasons and started in three contests. Last year he averaged 9.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game while shooting 52.3% from the field and 36.4% from behind the three-point line.

This guy is hardwired differently. The Deseret News profile where I found Pope’s vomit quote is filled with interesting anecdotes about Saunders.

Playing piano and guitar is typically line one in the “Fun Facts” portion of a player’s bio. That’s just a small footnote for Saunders who started a duck-feeding business to fund his two-year mission trip to Madagascar (which was altered by the COVID-19 pandemic). He’s been to West Africa four times and he partnered with a teammate to form a non-profit in Mali. Oh, and Saunders can speak Spanish and French, and he’s learning Malagasy, the most common language in Madagascar.

If all goes well over the next two days, Richie Saunders is on a path to becoming one of the most interesting players to ever wear a Kentucky basketball uniform.

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