More to Life Than Basketball : Preps: Shomario Richard of Nogales finds out the hard way that academics play a big part in recruiting.

He has accomplished so much on the basketball court, but Shomario Richard realizes now that it doesn’t mean much without a proper education.

“Future basketball stars at my school can learn from my mistakes,” said Richard, a recent graduate of La Puente Nogales High and one of the top players in the state last season. “I feel a little bit like a sacrificial lamb because I had no one to learn from. I’ve done things the hard way.”

An outstanding career at Nogales drew attention from many of the top colleges in the nation, but Richard has not yet academically qualified to earn a scholarship.

He signed with San Diego State last month; whether he can play remains undecided.

Richard, 17, took the Scholastic Assessment Test and American College Test for the third time each earlier this month, hoping to score well enough to gain eligibility. He expects to hear something soon.

Since discovering as a junior that he was far behind in the courses needed to be eligible for a college scholarship, Richard has been busy playing catch-up. He spent six weeks in summer school last year and attended night school as a senior to supplement his normal course load. He spent more than $200 on the additional exams this month after taking a preparatory course.

This was on top of a basketball season that began in November and stretched into early March with Nogales advancing further in the playoffs than ever before.

Richard, a 6-foot-2 point guard, was regarded as one of the nation’s top prospects at his position before his senior season. The four-year starter averaged 28 points in leading the Nobles to a 26-5 record and a berth in the Southern Section Division I-A title game. Richard had 781 assists in his career, fourth best in state history.

Nogales Coach Bob Withers calls Richard the most talented high school basketball player whom he has ever been associated with. Richard and his parents, Randall and Marian Guillony, admit they first thought a college scholarship was a strong possibility three years ago.

So why wasn’t Richard prepared academically?

“There really are no excuses to be made or fingers to be pointed,” Marian Guillony said. “We’ve all had some hand in Shomario’s problems this year. . . . I, like a lot of other parents, did not know much about the recruiting process or what was expected of my son. It’s been a difficult learning experience.”

Said Richard: “People put you on a pedestal and you try to live up to it. You put in the extra effort, and maybe it takes away from your academics.

“Instead of studying at night, you come home and shoot baskets. When you have an injury, you might stay home to nurse it and forget to have someone get your homework. Whether that’s right or wrong, it’s often reality.”

Nogales Coach Bob Withers holds study hall sessions for his players in the fall and spring and monitors their grades. But he admits the recruiting process and NCAA requirements are new to him since Nogales does not have a history of developing scholarship players.

“Shomario has been a struggle because academics were not always a big priority with him,” said Withers, in his sixth year at the school. “To his credit, he’s handled this pressure well and believed in himself when few others did. He made up a lot of courses no one thought he could.”

Richard, who scored a school-record 1,914 points in his career and was the first basketball player at Nogales to have his jersey number retired, also got a late start with the college entrance exams. Most college-bound student-athletes first take the SAT or ACT as a junior, but Richard did not take the tests until last winter, thinking they were only for seniors.

In four tries at the tests, he did not score enough to qualify for a scholarship. He is hoping the last two tests will put him over the edge.

“I know I’ve always been capable of the work, but I didn’t apply myself,” Richard said. “I figured doing well on the court would always just be enough. I guess I figured wrong, and this has definitely made me mature faster.”

Richard’s academic troubles scared off recruiters in the fall, but things picked up after the NCAA decided to delay tougher entrance standards earlier this year.

Jim Harrick offered Richard a scholarship moments after the Bruins defeated Arizona at Pauley Pavilion in February, and subsequent offers were made by Long Beach State, Oregon State and Fresno State, among others. Richard eventually settled on San Diego State, which has not had a winning record in 10 years, and plans to attend the school in the fall even if he does not qualify to play basketball.

James Holland, an assistant coach at San Diego State, said Richard is a major signing for a rebuilding program.

“There is always a risk when you sign a player who has not qualified,” Holland said. “But this is the kind of player who can help take a program to the next level, and we’ll make sure he gets the academic support he needs.”

Richard is not the only local recruit to have academic troubles. Tommy Prince of Compton Dominguez signed with UCLA in April but still has not qualified. Holland cited NCAA rules that limit contact with potential recruits as one reason many players do not know the requirements.

Richard says he is not bitter.

“I’m not ashamed to admit that I messed up my first three years,” Richard said, “because I cleaned things up this year and tried to improve the situation. It’s no crime to learn from your mistakes, and that’s exactly what I’ve done. I’ve learned to live with it and make the most of it.”