Aug. 22, 2007

CHICAGO - Former Loyola University Chicago men's basketball player Jaja Richards will compete for his native Virgin Islands at the FIBA Americas Championship in Las Vegas, Aug. 22 - Sept. 2. The Virgin Islands opens the tourney tomorrow when it faces the United States.

In two seasons at Loyola, from 1995-97, Richards appeared in 54 contests, averaging 5.0 points and 3.9 rebounds per game. His best season came in 1996-97, when he contributed 6.1 ppg and 4.3 rpg, while shooting 60 percent from the field in 27 appearances. The 6-foot-11 center blocked a season-high seven shots on Feb. 20, 1997 in a game against Milwaukee.

The Virgin Islands team is ranked 38th in the world and will also face Canada (Aug. 24), Brazil (Aug. 25) and Venezuela (Aug. 26) in first-round action at the FIBA Americas. The top four finishers in each pool advance to the second round of the tournament. The gold and silver medalists at the FIBA Americas earn qualifying spots in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Richards' Virgin Islands team will have a very familiar face to college basketball fans. Carl Krauser, who starred at the University of Pittsburgh before graduating in 2006, played in Germany last season and will lead the team in the backcourt.

Thursday's game against the United States will be carried live on ESPN Classic at 10 p.m. Central.