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 | Class:
Freshman
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| Hometown:
Peoria, Ill.
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| High School:
Central
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| Last College:
Findlay (Nev.) Prep
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| Height / Weight:
6-3 / 185
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| Position:
Guard
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| Birthdate:
02/11/1991
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HIGH SCHOOL
Consensus Top 50 recruit averaged 12 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.6 steals as a senior at Findlay Prep ... Helped lead Findlay to a perfect 33-0 record and national championship after winning the 2009 ESPN Rise National High School Invitational ... Fourth-Team Parade Magazine All-American ... ESPN Rise National High School Invitational All-Tournament team ... Selected to play for the U.S. squad in the annual Senior Showcase game in Orlando, which featured a team of United States All-Stars vs. Florida All-Stars ... Ranked No. 35 on the recruiting services consensus index, including No. 30 by All Star Report, No. 38 by both Rivals.com and Prep Stars and No. 42 by Scout.com ... Attended Peoria Central High School from freshman through junior seasons ... Led the Mid-State 6 conference in scoring as a junior, averaging 17.8 points along with six rebounds ... First-team All-State selection by the Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette and second-team All-State by the Associated Press and Chicago Sun-Times and special mention All-State by the Chicago Tribune as a junior ... Prep school coach at Findlay was Michael Peck and high school coach at Central was Dan Ruffin ... Played for the Illinois Warriors AAU program, coached by Larry Butler.
PERSONAL
Born Feb. 11, 1991 ... Given name is Dietrich James Richardson but has always gone by D.J. ... Parents are D.J. Sr. and Brendetta Richardson ... Enrolled in the Division of General Studies ... Has two brothers and three sisters ... His entire starting lineup from Findlay Prep earned Div. I scholarships (Avery Bradley-Texas, Carlos Lopez-UNLV, Victor Rudd-Arizona State and Issiah Grayson-VCU) ... Prior to Findlay, attended Peoria Central, the same high school as Illini Assistant Coach Jerrance Howard ... Favorite athlete is Dwyane Wade ... Favorite Illini players growing up were Deron Williams, Dee Brown and Luther Head ... Credits his brother, Terrance Smith, and former Illini and Peoria native Jamar Smith as the people that have most influenced his basketball career because "They made me earn everything on the court and always pushed me to get better."
