CHICAGO (October 8, 2020) – Ben Richardson (Overland Park, Kan./Blue Valley Northwest), who helped lead Loyola University Chicago's men's basketball team to the NCAA Final Four in 2018, has signed a professional contract to play for Massagno Basket in the Swiss Basketball League. Richardson previously played in both Poland and the Czech Republic in his pro career.
 
With BK Geosan Kolin in the Czech Republic last season, the 6-foot-3 guard, who was the 2018 Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year, averaged 12.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.1 steals in 21 games. Richardson collected Eurobasket.com All-Czech Republic League Honorable Mention honors. 
 
In his first season of professional basketball in 2018-19, Richardson put up 8.7 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 2.8 apg and 1.5 spg for MKS Dabrowa Gornicza in Poland, helping that club reach the Polish Cup semifinals. 
 
During his four-year career with the Ramblers, Richardson led the program to 89 total wins. During the magical 2017-18 campaign that culminated with Loyola's first trip to the NCAA Final Four since 1963, he contributed 6.9 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.2 steals per game, while shooting 40 percent (38-for-95) from three-point range, in 28 appearances. 
 
A stalwart on the defensive end of the floor his entire career, Richardson was hailed as the Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year in 2017-18 and also tabbed Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA South Regional after erupting for a career-high 23 points, hitting 6-of-7 shots from beyond the arc, while adding six rebounds and four assists, in Loyola's 78-62 victory over Kansas State in the Elite 8. 
 
Over his final three games of the 2018 NCAA tournament, Richardson averaged 11.7 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 2.7 apg and 1.0 spg, while shooting 61.9 percent (13-for-21) from the field and 54.5 percent (6-for-11) from three-point territory. With him in the lineup that season, Loyola posted a staggering 26-2 record.
 
Richardson is one of a handful of former Ramblers playing overseas this year, along with Milton Doyle (Italy), Jordan Hicks (France), Aundre Jackson (Luxembourg) and Marques Townes (Spain).