He already has a gold medal from the Under-18 FIBA Americas Championships, the title of Illinois Mr. Basketball and was named a McDonald’s High-School All-American.

Next on incoming Illini freshman Jereme Richmond’s list of things to do is to win basketball games for Illinois.

Richmond, who joins fellow freshmen Meyers Leonard and Crandall Head, has impressed teammates and coaches since arriving on campus as he transitions into his college career.

“You could just tell he’s on a different level maturity-wise,” senior Demetri McCamey said. “He’s coming in as an All-American trying to be selfish but making other people better, and that’s what’s going to help us.”

In his brief time in town, Richmond has learned to adjust his game speed and competitiveness.

He is looking to build a relationship with his teammates by asking them what situations they are comfortable in and where they want the ball on the court.

The main goal for Richmond is simple: Do whatever it takes for the Illini to win during the upcoming season.

“I just want to win ball games,” Richmond said when asked about his personal goals this year. “It comes down to how hard I want to work in practice and staying after, getting extra shots, just working on my game and showing the coaches that I’m ready.”

Richmond is one of Illinois’ most prized recruits over the past few seasons. He committed four years ago and has been in the spotlight for Illini fans since.

“I made my decision early so I didn’t have to worry about too many things like recruiting or things like that,” Richmond said. “At the same I was anxious to get down here and put the uniform on and do what these guys were doing.”

However, Richmond does not expect the transition from high school to college to be seamless. In addition to the heightened level of competition, he acknowledged that life off the court won’t be a walk in the park.

Although his parents live just three hours away, he said he will have to “take care of things as a young man, instead of having my parents do it for me.”

Richmond also expects to be more tired when the school year begins and he has to get up for class on his own.

Earlier this summer, the Waukegan, Ill., native competed on USA’s U18 team, which won a gold medal in San Antonio.

Richmond said he learned a lot and was honored to represent the United States.

“We had a lot of practices and went hard and competed every day,” Richmond said. “Taking that attitude and taking the fierceness of the coaches helped a lot.

“Playing for my country was something I was proud of and I think I can carry that same sense of pride to my school,” Richmond added.

Last season for the Waukegan Bulldogs, Richmond averaged 21 points and 11.4 rebounds per game. The team finished third in the state tournament.