Richard Melzer
Richard Melzer | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 8, 1979 United States |
| Occupation(s) | Professional basketball player (retired), coach, nonprofit CEO |
| Years active | 1999–2011 (professional basketball) |
| Known for | Playing in international basketball leagues; NCAA Division III Player of the Year; coaching and youth development |
Richard Melzer (born December 8, 1979) is a retired American professional basketball athlete who competed internationally, including in Australia's National Basketball League, Germany's Basketball Bundesliga, the NBA Development League, the Continental Basketball Association, as well as leagues in France and Israel. His main position on the court was power forward.
Melzer completed his high school education in 1999 at River Falls High School located in Wisconsin. His brother, Michael Grinnell, also pursued collegiate basketball at Carleton College.
During his senior year at the University of Wisconsin–River Falls, Melzer received the NCAA Division III Player of the Year award from the National Association of Basketball Coaches and D-III News. He was selected to the First Team All-America squad in both his junior and senior years, earned All-WIAC honors for three consecutive seasons, secured league MVP accolades twice, and concluded his college career ranking second in scoring with 2,363 points, third in rebounds with 821, and holding the school record for blocks at 186.
Melzer participated in tryouts with NBA teams including the Washington Wizards, Chicago Bulls, and Orlando Magic. Although he spent a brief period with the San Antonio Spurs, he did not secure a spot on their final roster. In 2005, he captained the Sioux Falls Skyforce to a Continental Basketball Association Championship and also claimed a championship title with Club San Carlos in the Dominican Republic where he was named MVP of the National Finals.
In the 2005–06 season, Melzer competed for the New Zealand Breakers in the NBL and earned Player of the Week recognition. On July 14, 2006, he inked a two-year deal with the Spurs but appeared only in four preseason games before being released in October that year.
Following this, he signed a short-term contract with ASVEL Villeurbanne in France while still affiliated with the Spurs. In 2007, he joined Israel’s Hapoel Gilboa/Afula and also played for Germany’s Artland Dragons.
Melzer returned to Australia in July 2009 to play for the Cairns Taipans where he once again received Player of the Week honors before experiencing a decline in performance. Afterwards, he went back to the United States to join the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in the NBA Development League and contributed to their championship victory.
For the 2010–11 campaign, Melzer signed with Hapoel Holon in Israel under coach Dani Franco and led playoff scoring with an average of 28.2 points per game. In June 2011, he moved to Germany to play for New Yorker Phantoms Braunschweig.
After retiring from professional basketball, Melzer became CEO of YouthLink MN, a Minneapolis-based nonprofit organization dedicated to aiding homeless young adults. Prior to this role, he coached varsity basketball at Holy Angels Academy alongside former NBA player Troy Bell. He remains active in youth basketball coaching through Grassroots Sizzle Nation, a development program that has produced NBA players such as Jalen Suggs and Chet Holmgren. Additionally, Melzer has made appearances on local sports media platforms, enhancing his engagement within the community.