Richardson Brings 40 Minutes of 'Infierno' to Mexico

LAS VEGAS, Aug. 23 -- So much has changed for Nolan Richardson in the five years since he was last seen barking out instructions as head coach of Arkansas. His once-dark Afro is now gray and closer cropped. He has lost more than 20 pounds. And, the trademark playing style that led to three Final Four appearances and a national championship -- 40 minutes of hell -- is now said in a different language.

"Cuarenta minutos de infierno," said Richardson, 65, who is serving as national team coach for Mexico in the FIBA Americas Championship.

It seemed a little odd seeing Richardson guiding Mexico to a preliminary round upset of Puerto Rico on Wednesday -- and it had nothing to do with the goofy-looking blue outfit he was wearing. But given Richardson's background, he sounds like the perfect fit to possibly guide the Mexican basketball team back to the Olympics for the first time since 1976. "I always dreamed that I would one day get a chance to coach the Mexican team," said Richardson. "All my life I've been a part of Mexican culture. I knew if they needed some help, they could always call me and I would be there."

Richardson grew up in El Paso, so close to the Mexican border that he could throw a baseball and retrieve it in the neighboring town of Juarez. His was the only black family in a Mexican neighborhood, and he learned Spanish from his friends, later becoming the first black student to integrate Bowie High School when the schools were desegregated in 1955.

Richardson went on to coach his alma mater, turning Bowie into a winner over 10 years despite never having a player taller than 5 feet 11. It was there that Richardson devised the system that would define his career. "We started to winning 25, 26 games a year with a bunch of little Mexican kids," he said, "because we started trapping, getting cheap layups."

That blitzing, gambling, frenetic style took Richardson to Western Texas Junior College, Tulsa and Arkansas, where he reached the apex of his career, beating Duke and now Team USA Coach Mike Krzyzewski for the national title in 1994. He has mostly been absent from basketball circles since his departure from Arkansas in 2002 -- which included him challenging the university to fire him, the school buying out his contract and him filing a racial discrimination lawsuit that was later dismissed.

He mostly hid out in Fayetteville, Ark., doing charity work and speaking engagements, until Panama asked him to direct a failed bid to make the world championships two summers ago. But, despite winning more than 500 career games, Richardson hasn't even interviewed for another college coaching job. "I realize the Arkansas job was probably going to destroy the confidence. And I don't think it's about coaching. I think it's about being outspoken," Richardson said. "I'm not the average person to just bend his head and say, 'Yes sir.' Not very many black coaches get a second chance at big-time major university, and I know that."

Mexico isn't paying Richardson for his services -- "I get per diem," he said -- and he hasn't decided if he will coach the team beyond this season. Mexico needs to finish in the top five to have a chance to qualify for the Olympics. The best two teams gain automatic berths.

Asked if there was a language barrier that limited his ability to communicate with his team, Richardson gave a 25-second answer in Spanish, then said, "So therefore, I know how to communicate." Richardson uses English and Spanish when addressing his team, and often mixes them in conversation.

Mexico entered this tournament ranked 34th in the world in the latest FIBA rankings, but in its opening game Wednesday defeated Puerto Rico, the 13th-ranked team, 100-89.

Richardson took over the team in May and immediately ran his players ragged, preparing them for infierno and pushing them through rugged two-a-day practices for eight days. His pudgy, 6-11 center Horacio Llamas, a 34-year-old former draft pick of the Phoenix Suns, said he lost 25 pounds. "All around, it's good to have him on the team," he said. "We didn't have that kind of aggressiveness for the game. Some of these guys were not used to playing that hard."

Puerto Rico, which features two NBA players, certainly wasn't ready for such a hectic pace. Orlando Magic point guard Carlos Arroyo was held without a field goal, and Dallas Mavericks point guard Jose Barea grew so frustrated that he was ejected and received a two-game suspension for arguing calls.

"I told them, we're going to be the surprise over here. They better watch us," Richardson said. "Mexico has never been respected much in basketball, but I got enough kids believing in themselves now. They know how to win."