Byrd Becomes 32nd Panther To Score 1,000 Career Points

Byrd Becomes 32nd Panther To Score 1,000 Career Points

Byrd is currently 26th on the all-time list with 1,064 career points.


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Richard Byrd is averaging 20.4 points per game.

Richard Byrd is averaging 20.4 points per game.


Dec. 15, 2009

Garden City, N.Y. -

It was a game the Adelphi University men’s basketball team would like to forget, but it will be a game that junior guard Richard Byrd (Central Islip, N.Y.) will always remember. In their only loss of the season, 60-57 at Southern Connecticut State University on December 2, Byrd became the 32nd Panther in the program’s history to reach the 1,000 career-point plateau.

With 7:55 remaining in the first half, Byrd buried a 3-pointer to reach the milestone. Byrd, who had 1,011 career points after scoring 19 in the loss, now has 1,064 and is 26th on the Panthers’ all-time scoring list. The Central Islip native is averaging 15.6 points per game in 68 games so far in his impressive career.

“It is a great honor to score 1,000 career points and I have to give a lot of credit to my teammates,” said Byrd. “Without them this wouldn’t have happened.”

The 6’3” swingman made an immediate impact for the Brown and Gold when he arrived to Adelphi as a freshman in 2007. In his first season with the Panthers, Byrd led the team in scoring (13.3) and steals (34), while also grabbing 4.2 rebounds per game. For his efforts, he was named East Coast Conference Rookie of the Year and landed a spot on the ECC All-Conference Second-Team.

Byrd continued his fine play in his sophomore campaign. He led the Panthers in scoring at 16.6 a clip, while also leading the team in rebounding, pulling down 6.4 misses. Byrd also helped Adelphi capture back-to-back 20-win seasons. The postseason honors continued to pile up for Byrd after his second season with Adelphi. He garnered ECC All-Conference First Team recognition and earned a spot on the All-Met Division II Men's College Basketball First-Team.

“Richard has worked hard to improve his game to become a very good all-around player to complement his scoring ability,” said eighth-year Head Coach James Cosgrove.

The winning and success has not stopped for Byrd and the Panthers in 2009. The junior guard, who was named a tri-captain this year, is scoring 20.4 points per game on an 8-1 Adelphi squad who is currently sitting in second place in their first season in a very competitive Northeast-10 Conference with a 5-1 mark in league-play. Byrd is also second on the team in rebounding (6.1), assists (22), and steals (15).