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Mr. Rich Goes to Washington
9/25/2026 4:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Senior guard CJ Rich never figured politics would be part of his college experience.
Sports? Absolutely.
Business? Certainly. Basketball? That has been part of the plan for as long as he can remember.
Politics? Capitol Hill? Lobbying?
Check. Check. Check.
Earlier this month, the USC Upstate senior traded the basketball court for the halls of Congress, traveling to Washington, D.C., as part of a group of student-athletes from across the country advocating for the Protect College Sports Act.
For Rich, the two-day trip was less about discovering a sudden interest in politics and more about discovering just how far his voice as a student-athlete could carry.
"I had been to Washington before because I have family up there, but that was kind of my first time being in the Capitol Hill area," Rich said. "When we got there, and I saw all the cameras when we did the press conference, it was absolutely surreal. The buzz was real with reporters and news stations everywhere."
The trip grew out of Rich's involvement with USC Upstate Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and within the Big South Conference's SAAC leadership reps from each school. Rich has been involved in student-athlete leadership for roughly two years and has served as SAAC president at Upstate. That role has put him in a position to bring conference-wide conversations back to Spartan student-athletes and advocate for ways to improve their experience.
So when the opportunity to travel to Washington surfaced during a Big South meeting, Rich raised his hand.
"I thought it would be something really good and beneficial to go and kind of speak on behalf of our student-athletes," he said.
That decision placed a 5-foot-10 guard from Columbia, South Carolina, in a setting far removed from a college basketball practice.
Rich traveled north with Big South Commissioner Sherika Montgomery. He spent the trip meeting with lawmakers and staff, discussing college athletics and sharing his perspective as a current student-athlete. The visit culminated in a press conference outside the U.S. Capitol that included student-athletes, lawmakers and several recognizable college basketball coaches.
For a basketball lifer, that part was hard to miss.
"One of the highlights of the trip was probably standing right there next to Coach Calipari and Mark Few," Rich said. "I had Kelvin Sampson on the side of me in a picture as well. That was kind of a fun moment for me."
Not bad company for a college senior who, by his own admission, never imagined this kind of moment when he first arrived on campus.
Rich's path at Upstate has been one of leadership both on and off the court. While logging minutes as a player each year, his voice and presence within the program have continued to grow. He became more involved, took on the role of team captain and emerged as a student-athlete leader.
And eventually, he became someone trusted to represent his peers hundreds of miles away on Capitol Hill.
"When I first got to college, probably not," Rich said when asked whether he could have envisioned the experience. "But through the years, the more and more I got involved … it kind of wasn't a far-fetched thing to think about to be involved at this level."
That growth matters to Rich because college athletics has never been foreign territory.
His father, Carey Rich Sr., was a three-year letterwinner and two-year captain at South Carolina and now serves on the Gamecocks' men's basketball staff. CJ remembers being a youth and getting an up-close view of major college basketball, including trips inside SEC locker rooms at halftime.
College athletics was something he grew up around.
Now, he is learning what it looks like from the inside.
"I've had a chance to have an up-close and personal relationship with college athletics for a good chunk of my life," Rich said. "I've had the chance to see it from multiple different angles over the years. I know that has also helped me shape my voice as a leader."
The Washington experience added yet another view.
The Protect College Sports Act has generated support and opposition from current athletes and other groups, with competing athlete-led events taking place in Washington during the same week. Rich was there to share his own support and his own experience, not to claim he spoke for every college athlete.
What struck him most, however, was seeing athletes from different schools and competitive levels in the same place, discussing the future of college sports.
For Rich, the trip reinforced a message he has tried to bring back to his peers at USC Upstate: student-athletes have a voice, and using it can shape their experience.
"I try to remind our student-athletes that we have a voice more so than ever," Rich said. "We have a chance to have a direct impact on our overall student-athlete experience. This isn't just for what's happening now but what's happening next."
That may be the lasting part of the trip to Washington.
Rich is a business management major who plans to pursue a master's degree after graduation. Long term, he sees himself staying in college athletics, likely on the administrative side.
In some ways, Washington gave him an early look at what that future could require. College athletics is no longer only practices, games, recruiting and championships. It is also leadership, advocacy, policy, relationships and the ability to communicate a position when the room gets bigger.
Those are skills Rich believes USC Upstate has helped him develop.
"The biggest thing that I'll remember is how it helped me transform myself," he said. "I was always kind of naturally a leader, but it helped me transform into a leader amongst men."
That transformation has taken him from Spring Valley High School to USC Upstate, from a basketball roster to student-athlete leadership, and now from Spartanburg to Capitol Hill.
There is one place, however, Rich does not expect the journey to take him next.
Asked whether his first lobbying experience sparked a future career in politics, he didn't need much time to consider it.
"No politics," Rich said with a laugh. "No politics in my future."
Fair enough, because Mr. Rich has already gone to Washington.
Sports? Absolutely.
Business? Certainly. Basketball? That has been part of the plan for as long as he can remember.
Politics? Capitol Hill? Lobbying?
Check. Check. Check.
Earlier this month, the USC Upstate senior traded the basketball court for the halls of Congress, traveling to Washington, D.C., as part of a group of student-athletes from across the country advocating for the Protect College Sports Act.
For Rich, the two-day trip was less about discovering a sudden interest in politics and more about discovering just how far his voice as a student-athlete could carry.
"I had been to Washington before because I have family up there, but that was kind of my first time being in the Capitol Hill area," Rich said. "When we got there, and I saw all the cameras when we did the press conference, it was absolutely surreal. The buzz was real with reporters and news stations everywhere."
The trip grew out of Rich's involvement with USC Upstate Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and within the Big South Conference's SAAC leadership reps from each school. Rich has been involved in student-athlete leadership for roughly two years and has served as SAAC president at Upstate. That role has put him in a position to bring conference-wide conversations back to Spartan student-athletes and advocate for ways to improve their experience.
So when the opportunity to travel to Washington surfaced during a Big South meeting, Rich raised his hand.
"I thought it would be something really good and beneficial to go and kind of speak on behalf of our student-athletes," he said.
That decision placed a 5-foot-10 guard from Columbia, South Carolina, in a setting far removed from a college basketball practice.
Rich traveled north with Big South Commissioner Sherika Montgomery. He spent the trip meeting with lawmakers and staff, discussing college athletics and sharing his perspective as a current student-athlete. The visit culminated in a press conference outside the U.S. Capitol that included student-athletes, lawmakers and several recognizable college basketball coaches.
For a basketball lifer, that part was hard to miss.
"One of the highlights of the trip was probably standing right there next to Coach Calipari and Mark Few," Rich said. "I had Kelvin Sampson on the side of me in a picture as well. That was kind of a fun moment for me."
Not bad company for a college senior who, by his own admission, never imagined this kind of moment when he first arrived on campus.
Rich's path at Upstate has been one of leadership both on and off the court. While logging minutes as a player each year, his voice and presence within the program have continued to grow. He became more involved, took on the role of team captain and emerged as a student-athlete leader.
And eventually, he became someone trusted to represent his peers hundreds of miles away on Capitol Hill.
"When I first got to college, probably not," Rich said when asked whether he could have envisioned the experience. "But through the years, the more and more I got involved … it kind of wasn't a far-fetched thing to think about to be involved at this level."
That growth matters to Rich because college athletics has never been foreign territory.
His father, Carey Rich Sr., was a three-year letterwinner and two-year captain at South Carolina and now serves on the Gamecocks' men's basketball staff. CJ remembers being a youth and getting an up-close view of major college basketball, including trips inside SEC locker rooms at halftime.
College athletics was something he grew up around.
Now, he is learning what it looks like from the inside.
"I've had a chance to have an up-close and personal relationship with college athletics for a good chunk of my life," Rich said. "I've had the chance to see it from multiple different angles over the years. I know that has also helped me shape my voice as a leader."
The Washington experience added yet another view.
The Protect College Sports Act has generated support and opposition from current athletes and other groups, with competing athlete-led events taking place in Washington during the same week. Rich was there to share his own support and his own experience, not to claim he spoke for every college athlete.
What struck him most, however, was seeing athletes from different schools and competitive levels in the same place, discussing the future of college sports.
For Rich, the trip reinforced a message he has tried to bring back to his peers at USC Upstate: student-athletes have a voice, and using it can shape their experience.
"I try to remind our student-athletes that we have a voice more so than ever," Rich said. "We have a chance to have a direct impact on our overall student-athlete experience. This isn't just for what's happening now but what's happening next."
That may be the lasting part of the trip to Washington.
Rich is a business management major who plans to pursue a master's degree after graduation. Long term, he sees himself staying in college athletics, likely on the administrative side.
In some ways, Washington gave him an early look at what that future could require. College athletics is no longer only practices, games, recruiting and championships. It is also leadership, advocacy, policy, relationships and the ability to communicate a position when the room gets bigger.
Those are skills Rich believes USC Upstate has helped him develop.
"The biggest thing that I'll remember is how it helped me transform myself," he said. "I was always kind of naturally a leader, but it helped me transform into a leader amongst men."
That transformation has taken him from Spring Valley High School to USC Upstate, from a basketball roster to student-athlete leadership, and now from Spartanburg to Capitol Hill.
There is one place, however, Rich does not expect the journey to take him next.
Asked whether his first lobbying experience sparked a future career in politics, he didn't need much time to consider it.
"No politics," Rich said with a laugh. "No politics in my future."
Fair enough, because Mr. Rich has already gone to Washington.
Players Mentioned
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