CHICAGO (December 13, 2021) – Ben Richardson (Overland Park, Kan./Blue Valley Northwest), who helped lead Loyola University Chicago to the NCAA Final Four in 2018, has signed a professional contract with Spisski Rytieri Nova Ves in Slovakia. The 6-foot-3 guard, who will be playing his fourth season of professional basketball overseas, spent last season playing for SAM Basket Massagno in Switzerland.
 
In 16 appearances with SAM Basket Massagno in 2020-21, Richardson averaged 7.3 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game and during the 2019-20 campaign, he contributed 12.2 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 3.0 apg and 2.1 spg playing for BK Geosan Kolin in the Czech Republic, earning Eurobasket.com Czech Republic League Honorable Mention accolades.
 
During his first season of pro ball, Richardson, who was named Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA South Regional, put up 8.7 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 2.8 apg and 1.5 spg for MKS Dabrowa Gornicza, helping the team reach the semifinals of the Polish Cup in 2018-19.
 
The defensive-minded Richardson led the Ramblers to 89 wins during his four-year career that was capped with that magical run to the Final Four in 2018 when Loyola won a school-record 32 games and captured its first Missouri Valley Conference championship. As a senior, he chipped in 6.9 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 3.8 apg and 1.2 spg and was hailed as the MVC Defensive Player of the Year.  
 
Loyola fans will never forget his performance versus Kansas State in the 2018 NCAA South Regional Final, when he poured in a career-best 23 points, hitting 6 of 7 shots from three-point range, to send the Ramblers to their first Final Four since 1963.
 
Richardson joins several former Ramblers who are playing professional basketball overseas this season – Milton Doyle (Turkey), Jordan Hicks (Luxembourg), Donte Ingram (Holland), Cameron Krutwig (Belgium) and Marques Townes (Lithuania).