BIO: Patrick Richard was born in Lafayette, Louisiana (USA).

NBL EXPERIENCE

Patrick Richard made his NBL debut with the New Zealand Breakers at 28 years of age. He scored nine points in his first game.

In 2018, a new regime was brought about at the Breakers organisation. In February, a consortium headed by former NBA player Matt Walsh became the majority shareholders via a newly formed company called Breakers Basketball Ltd, thus ending the 13-year Liz and Paul Blackwell ownership team.

Next came the exodus of four of the franchise’s most long-serving figures during the off-season. Paul Henare’s 15 years as player and coach came to an end, New Zealand’s all-time leading scorer Kirk Penney retired, and Alex Pledger (to Melbourne), Mika Vukona (to Brisbane), and young talent Robert Loe (to Cairns) all signed deals elsewhere.

Thomas Abercrombie would step into the role of captain with Vukona’s exit, and former player Kevin Braswell signed up to be the team’s new head coach. Braswell was tasked with remaking the Breakers squad, which included bringing back Tai Wesley (via Melbourne) and Tall Blacks star Corey Webster (via Europe) on a three-year deal. Jarrad Weeks (via Cairns) and Majok Majok (via Melbourne) were later added to finalize the team’s local roster, while Patrick Richard, Armani Moore, and Shawn Long signed as import players.

The Breakers headed to the USA and faced the Phoenix Suns in a preseason NBLxNBA exhibition game to start their season. Despite being heavy underdogs, New Zealand pushed the Suns to the limit, making a late surge to cut the lead to four in the final minute before falling just short in a 91–86 loss. Corey Webster (27 points and 7 assists) and Tai Wesley (15 points and 7 rebounds) led the Breakers offensively. Phoenix, who were without star Devin Booker, relied on Deandre Ayton (21 points and 15 rebounds) and Trevor Ariza (16 points and 6 assists).

New Zealand’s season was marked by inconsistency, injuries, and roster changes, leading to a difficult start with a five-game losing streak in late November and early December. The team struggled to find their footing, winning just four of their first twelve games.

New Zealand’s lacklustre season was also due to several key players not delivering as expected. Corey Webster (10.4 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 2.5 assists), who was once a premier scorer in the league, experienced his worst statistical season in five years. Thomas Abercrombie (8.5 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.1 assists) and Shea Ili (7.9 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 2.8 assists) both saw a decline from last season, while Richard (11.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.2 assists) and fellow import Armani Moore (7.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.8 assists) fell short of team expectations.

Despite ups and downs, Patrick Richard (11.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.2 assists) delivered some strong performances for the Breakers. His standout games included a 21-point, 6-rebound, and 3-assist effort against Brisbane (11 Nov 2018), where he shot 7-of-16 from the field and nailed 6-of-11 three-pointers. He followed this with another 21-point game against Cairns (9 Nov 2018), adding 2 rebounds and 3 assists while making 8-of-9 shots from the field. Richard’s best game came against Adelaide (7 Feb 2019), where he scored 24 points, grabbed 1 rebound, and made 9-of-16 field goals, including 6-of-11 from beyond the arc.

In January, New Zealand (8-12) fell to the bottom of the ladder following three consecutive losses, including one to last-placed Cairns. Despite their efforts to regain form, the Breakers ended their season with a 12-16 record, finishing in sixth place and missing the playoffs.

Alongside Richard, the Breakers saw strong contributions from Jarrad Weeks (10.1 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 2.4 assists), who enjoyed a career-best season and was a runner-up for both the Best Sixth Man and Most Improved Player awards. Tai Wesley (14.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 3.5 assists) continued his consistent play, while Shawn Long (18.3 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks) ranked second in the league for both rebounds and blocks, earning a spot on the All-NBL Second Team and winning the Breakers Club MVP.

Patrick Richard played one season in the NBL. He averaged 11 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in 26 NBL games.

Dan Boyce (815 Posts)

Dan Boyce is a die-hard Sydney Kings fan who grew up in Melbourne during the roaring 90's of Australian Basketball and spent far too much time collecting Futera NBL Basketball cards.