“He was about 6’8, 215 and he was probably one of the best players I had seen up till that point.”

That’s what N.C. State senior guard C.J. Williams had to say when asked to sum up what he thought of junior forward Richard Howell when he first got to know him.

In the Mark Gottfried era, if there’s one player who has established himself as not only one of the best players in the conference, but in the country, it has to be Howell.

At 9.2 rebounds per game, 11.4 points per game and a .505 field goal shooting percentage Howell’s a good player. But they do little justice to indicate the type of person Howell is.

“He is probably the biggest kid you will ever meet,” Williams said. “He loves to laugh and joke around and stuff. His laughter is infectious, he just makes everybody laugh.”

Junior center Deshawn Painter, who joined the Pack alongside Howell, said he was a great player but an even greater guy.

“We come from similar backgrounds,” Painter said. “We instantly clicked, but for the most part he is a hard worker. He has got a lot of heart.”

Despite being one of the most explosive players on the court, Howell is often described as being a quiet person. However, according to Painter, people who know him would say otherwise.

“Some people say Rich [Howell] is quiet and all, but you just got to know him,” Painter said. “That’s just his personality. He’s a good guy, he’s humble and he’s a great person.”

Despite his success during game time, things have been far from utopian off the court. Howell believes those experiences have shaped him to become a better person and athlete.

“The type of tragedies I have been through, they have always been my inspiration,” Howell said. “I have had a lot of deaths in my family. 

When my little sister died, that was the inspiration for me to be a better person. It helped me play better on the court and take it a lot more seriously.”

Despite the accolades he has received for his performance this season, which has seen him net as many as nine double-doubles, Howell believes the team’s performance always comes first for him.

“I am happy but not satisfied,” Howell said. “I am not concerned about how many rebounds I get. I just want to go out there and win the ball game. I don’t care if I get zero rebounds or zero points or whatever, I just want to win.”

Howell has specific goals for what he wants to achieve during the rest of his time at State.

“I want to make it to the NCAA tournament,” Howell said. “I have been here two years and never had the chance to go there. Coach Gottfried preaches every day that the NCAA tournament is the best show on earth, and it’s definitely something I want to participate in before I go out.”

Howell is feared by all his opponents for his domination on the boards, most recently seen against Virginia where he racked up 18 rebounds. Painter believes he hasn’t seen many as talented as Howell.

“He is one of the best rebounders. I think he is amongst the top 3 rebounders in the country,” Painter said. “He might not get a lot of credit for it, especially for his size and his height. If he was 6’10, he would be a top 5 draft pick just because of the way he rebounds.”

Howell said he wanted to be remembered for not only his athletic ability, but also for his personality.

“I’d like to be remembered as a kid who just went hard no matter what, and always likes to put smiles on people’s faces as well.”