Michigan State's Jase Richardson forges own path while following in his father's footsteps 25 years later

Michigan State freshman guard Jase Richardson is one of the anomalies that graces college basketball every so often.

And it’s not because of a signature move or special talent. It’s largely due to the name on the back of his jersey.

He’s the son of former MSU star Jason Richardson, a member of the 2000 national championship team that became an All-American the following year. It’s also the first time ever that Tom Izzo has been the head coach of both a father and son. 

“It’s a great honor and a privilege if you really think about it,” Izzo said at Big Ten Media Days in October. “If his dad didn’t have a good time there, would he want his son going there?”

Generations of Spartans

— Michigan State Men's Basketball (@MSU_Basketball)

Halfway through his first year in East Lansing, Jase has quickly become a pivotal piece in the Spartans’ rotation. 

He’s averaging the second-most points per game (9.2) on the team and joined elite company earlier in the season as the program’s third first-year to score in double figures in their first two games since 2010 — and the only one to come off the bench. The Spartans were ranked No. 8 in the latest AP Top 25 poll, the team’s highest ranking in nearly five years, and are one of two teams in the nation that haven’t lost a game since Thanksgiving. 

Between the personal and team success, Jase has proven to be much more than a "legacy kid" that one may assume looking at his name alone. 

He’s forging his own path.  

“I’ve loved (basketball) since I was 4,” Jase said. “When I step on that court and I go out there and have fun, I just feel like I’m in such a mode of the game, game flow, I don’t feel any pressure.”

Like mother, like son 

Outside of the shared name, Jase and Jason are two completely different players — and they are the first to tell you.

They each have a distinct rhythm and flow on the court, almost like they’re playing to a beat of different songs.

When Jason got to MSU, he was a high-flyer that could jump out the gym — athleticism was his God-given ability. The only conversation you could have with him was above the rim. Jase, on the other hand, resembles a polished playmaking guard that oozes efficiency. He described himself as a three-level scorer that facilitates for his teammates and is a “solid perimeter defender that can get in gaps, get steals and create for (his) teammates.”

The reason behind their different play styles? Jase crafted his game behind his mother, not father.

“The way he attacks, the way he’s efficient, his IQ, I all credit that to his mom,” Jason said. “When you watch all the things he does well, that was all a product of what she had taught him by coaching him.”

Jase’s mother, Jackie Richardson, coached Jase from four years old to high school, spearheading the guard's development while Jason continued his 14-year NBA career. Jackie played college basketball at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs in the 1990s.

Jase and his mother, Jackie, pose together at the Jr NBA Global Championship. Photo credits: Richardson family

Jackie’s coaching style was rooted in discipline, especially before the intangibles like athleticism kicked in. 

The focus was in the fundamentals, like finishing on both sides of the rim and not chucking 3s after one’s shot form changed. 

“I liked to give them a loose framework so that they could understand the game, not so much be robotic,” Jackie said. “Be able to make reads, be able to make other people better. I didn’t just keep one person on the ball, everybody had to be able to handle the ball.”

These transferable skills are an important reason why Jackie believes her son has been so impactful for the Spartans already. The idea of playing on or off the ball, getting his teammates involved or hitting shots in big moments aren’t anything new to Jase.

And the numbers back it up. 

MIN: 15
PTS: 16

Jase Richardson () provided some instant offense off the bench in his first career home game 💥 x

— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall)

The Denver native has the best 3-point percentage (41.2) on the team out of players that have shot more than 15 3-pointers this year — and he has the best field goal percentage (56.4) among the guards. Izzo added that Jase moves the ball as well as any player he’s coached in years.

“The majority of my game came from both my parents…being a point guard through my mother and then about the game and how to get there from my father,” Jase said. “You have to see the whole floor as a point guard, offensively and defensively, so with (my mother) doing that, I’m able to help find plays for myself and for my teammates.” 

Career-threatening injury puts basketball future in question

Jase’s career was in jeopardy after his sophomore year of high school.

He hyperextended his right knee in the regional final and had to get an MRI three days before the state semifinals. Jase had dealt with growing pains before, but it never amounted to anything serious. Additionally, he had no symptoms of a major injury. 

“We overnighted the disc to our surgeon in New York,” Jackie said. “We’re getting ready to go to the airport Friday morning for the Final Four game and he calls us first thing in the morning and was like, ‘You have to shut him down.' "

It turned out to be an OCD Lesion, a congenital bone defect commonly found in adolescents’ ankles, knees and elbows. 

Jase’s circumstances were different, though, because it was on the weight bearing part of his femur. The injury went unnoticed for two years because there wasn’t any cartilage damage, but because of its location, every time he walked or performed any type of physical activity, his leg was impacted.

“We had to wait three weeks for a kid his age to pass away so he could have a donor,” Jackie said. “Then we waited another six weeks to see if the bone took, and if the bone hadn’t taken, Jase would have never run again.”

Sidelined in March 2022, he wasn’t cleared for full minutes until April 2023. 

Jason sits in the hospital with Jase. Photo credits: Richardson Family

But it was more than just getting back on the hardwood. He had to relearn basic movements — how to walk, run, jump and more. He had to keep his leg straight for the first five weeks to let the bone heal and he couldn't do any type of impact for about five months.

A top-20 player nationally before the injury, recruitment sites dropped Jase in their rankings at arguably the most important time of college recruitment. He was watching everything he worked for wash away.

“That was definitely a really low point for me,” Jase said. “Just knowing even my everyday walking and running could be impaired, too, was something that also got in my head.”

The dark days of the recovery process made Jase question whether he wanted to quit playing basketball, but his parents helped him every step of the way. They were his rock. 

Jackie was at every workout and worked out with him, whether it was in the pool or extra leg raises at home.

Coincidentally, Jason suffered a cartilage tear the size of a quarter on the weight-barring side of his left meniscus in Jan. 2013, which played a role in him not returning until Feb. 2015. Jason related to the mental toll his son was experiencing and helped advise him on how to overcome the struggles he faced.

“You’ve got to attack your rehab just like it’s a championship game everyday,” Jason said. “(Jackie) didn’t baby him about it. She’s like, ‘Good, we can quit, we don’t have to do this,’ and I think that was really eye-opening for him, like, ‘Hey, I really have to take this serious if I really want this.’ ”

Richardson smiles and throws up the peace sign during the recovery process. Photo credits: Richardson family

Jase regained his mojo gradually when he returned to the floor, hitting his stride at Nike’s Peach Jam Tournament in July 2023. He averaged 20.8 points per game and shot 56.9% from the field. 

Back on the map.

Jackie joked that he will surprise somebody with his newfound bounce because “he’s got two knees now.” And for Jase, he’s found a renewed purpose — a reason to go even harder.

“Knowing that the game can be taken from you that easily, it changes your whole mentality,” Jase said. “Before, I still played every game as hard as I could, but now it has a whole different meaning.” 

Leaving his own legacy

There’s a lot of unsolicited pressure that comes with being the child of a pro athlete, especially when they play the same sport. There’s always people that believe the parent’s stardom, at least an ounce of it, will rub off on the children.

Jase fits that category to a tee — the same school his father played at and under the same coach his dad won a national title with. He’s already noticed accounts on X comparing his stats to Jason’s.

(Readers may have to scroll to read the entire table)

But the first-year doesn’t view it as a pressure, he sees it as fun, especially because they play nothing alike.

“I don’t think there’s any type of pressure he’s ever felt as heavily as going through that (recovery) process,” Jackie said. “There’s things (he’ll) never do like (Jason) and people will always ridicule (him) about it.”

The Spartan faithful have already witnessed the versatility and potential of Jase’s game. 

He’s been the much-needed spark plug that led MSU past Colorado in the Maui Invitational, or a defensive stopper with five steals against Washington in conference play. He led the team in scoring during the first half versus Northwestern as well. 

After the Northwestern game, Izzo said, “as (Jase) gets better, we’re getting better, too.”

Coach Tom Izzo talks to Richardson during game versus Florida Atlantic

“Whatever the team needs,” Jase said. “We need a stop, I’ll try to go in there and play the hardest defense I can. If we need a bucket, I’ll try to get myself (one) or one of my teammates (a bucket).”

Jase’s preparedness for college came partially from the fundamentals his mother instilled in him when he was younger, but also because he transferred to Columbus High School in Miami, Florida, ahead of his senior year to play a national schedule against the top teams in the country. To make up for missing his junior year, he and his younger brother Jaxon Richardson, a 2026 four-star recruit, played three to four times a week at Columbus to prepare him for a 30-plus game college schedule.

The summer before his freshman year, he participated in the pro runs at the University of Miami as well, sharing the floor with current and former NBA players like John Wall, Michael Beasley, Cory Joseph and even his dad. 

From the hoop runs to pre-draft workouts, Jase’s college preparation was unmatched and helped him start his college career running. So much so that even the "freshman wall" — where a first-year player may slow in progress, be it because of compiled minutes, more-prepared opponents, or other reasons — could be just another thing Jase and those around him are ready to face.

"I think if he does, I think I'll be able to help talk him through it because he just has an incredible demeanor about him where he’s way more mature than his age — both chronologically and experience-wise," Izzo said at a Jan. 13 press conference about Jase hitting that wall. "He gets it. He's confident without being cocky, it's those kind of things. So, I'm hoping the wall doesn't hit because I think the best is yet to come. But I'm sure I'll talk to him about it some just because it happens to so many kids. I haven't had one as mature as him at the age he's at, but the season gets long for everybody."

Yet Jase is far from being the only game-changer for Michigan State. The Spartans have had eight different leading scorers in a game this year and have seen the bench outscore the starters in a half. 

The team’s success has amounted to the best start and AP Top 25 ranking since the 2019-20 season.

Coincidentally, this season is the 25th anniversary of Jason’s team winning the national championship, the last time the program won it all — or any Big Ten team. Jason believes the current MSU team can be successful too, but must prioritize one thing: togetherness. 

Richardson and teammates Coen Carr (center), (Frankie Fidler (left) and Jaden Akins (right) celebrate after Carr's three

“The biggest thing they have to do is stick together, because…they weren’t expected to make much noise,” Jason said. “When you get on that court it’s just special, because now you're playing for each other, and then the only common goal is to win.”

Jase has made his goals clear of winning a Big Ten title, making it to the Final Four and winning a national championship. Legacy-wise, he wants to be remembered as a role model that helped their teammates.

Although East Lansing is where his father made a name for himself, Jase sees his time at MSU as a chance to write his own story.

And he’s already on his way to it.

"He's getting better everyday," Izzo said after the Northwestern game on Jan. 12. "As I'm learning with him, he just has a knack, giving him freedom is safe. He's always been able to come off those ball screens, he curls it a lot, (when) he gets into that paint he can make a lot of things happen."