Jase Richardson has stepped out of his father's shadow for Big Ten champion Michigan State

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Jase Richardson was known as Jason Richardson's son when he arrived at Michigan State last fall, following the footsteps of his father who played for the Spartans and in the NBA. The freshman guard has stepped out of his father's shadow as a calm, consistent and efficient player for the Big Ten champions. "It's super rewarding for me," Jase Richardson told The Associated Press in an interview. "I had to come here and forge my own path because a lot of people are going to try to equate everything I do to my dad. "I had to come in here, work hard, stay disciplined and show people what I could do." Mission accomplished. Richardson has been perhaps the best player for the surprising Spartans, who were unranked for the first month of the season and are surging into this week's Big Ten Tournament as the top-seeded team in the conference and ranked No. 7 in the AP Top 25. On Monday, he was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week for the third straight week. The Big Ten will announce its awards on Tuesday and Richardson will get at least one vote for the All-Big Ten team — from TV analyst and former Purdue star Robbie Hummel. "With the way he's played in the most important stretch and in the most important games, he's deserving," Hummel said in a telephone interview. "Even if maybe his overall numbers would suggest that he comes up short, I would disagree. "He's efficient in every facet and his demeanor is really like an upperclassman. I just love his calmness." Richardson has made 52.4% of his shots, a remarkable rate for a guard who shoots a lot of jumpers. He's averaging 11.6 points in 24 minutes per game for a balanced team that has seven players averaging at least seven points in a 10-man rotation. "There can't be many guys that I've coached that are as efficient and as confident — not cocky, not arrogant," Hall of Fame coach Tom Izzo said after winning a record-tying 11th Big Ten title in his 30th season. "He's been a freshman that has been very influential in Michigan State winning a Big Ten championship. "That does not happen very often. It hasn't over my whole career." The 6-foot-3, 185-pound Richardson is averaging 3.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists while turning it over less than once per game. Jason Richardson averaged five points in 15 minutes as a freshman for Michigan State's 2000 national championship team and then nearly tripled his scoring production as a sophomore. Golden State used the No. 5 overall pick in the NBA draft on Jason Richardson, who earned a spot on the All-Rookie Team, led the league in 3-pointers in 2008 while playing for Charlotte and won consecutive NBA dunk contests. Jason Richardson takes no credit for Jase's game, dishing it to his wife for developing his son's savvy on the court. While the 14-year-old NBA veteran was winding down his career playing for Phoenix, Orlando and Philadelphia, former college basketball player Jackie Paul Richardson started coaching Jase when he was 6. "She wouldn't let us shoot 3s when we were younger because she wanted us to have the correct shot form," Jase Richardson recalled. "No Euro-steps or up-and-under moves until we were strong enough to do them at full speed with proper fundamentals. "My IQ and playmaking comes from her because she taught me how to read the floor and look for reads." Richardson started for the first time a month ago when point guard Jeremy Fears was out with an illness, and after scoring a career-high 29 points in a win over Oregon, he has started every game. The Spartans are 8-1 with Richardson starting and closed the regular season with seven wins, including five against ranked teams. As a starter, he is averaging nearly 17 points and five rebounds while making 53% of his shots. No. 22 Michigan lost to Michigan State twice in the past two-plus weeks in part because of Richardson, who had a combined 39 points and 11 rebounds against the Spartans' rival. "He impacts the game in so many ways," Wolverines coach Dusty May said. "His poise is extremely impressive, especially factored in that he's a freshman."