Richardson signs with DII power Kentucky Wesleyan
5/29/09
Sophomore Willie Richardson made history Friday, becoming the first LPC men's basketball player to sign a letter-of-intent with a four-year school by signing to play at Kentucky Wesleyan College next season.
Richardson, a 6-3 guard from New Orleans, was a first-team All-Coast Conference North Division selection -- the first time an LPC player has earned that distinction, too. He averaged 14.8 points, 5.7 rebounds and shot 51 percent from the floor for the season. During conference play, those numbers were 14.2, 4.8, and 49 percent.
He visited the Owensboro, Kentucky, campus two weeks ago and liked what he saw.
"I really liked the team and the coaching staff," he said. "And the campus is not that big. I won't get lost in academics. They have a lot of support there."
Kentucky Wesleyan also has a premier NCAA Division II basketball program. The Panthers have won a record eight national titles and have made a record 35 appearances in the NCAA Division II Tournament.
KWC, which plays in the Great Lakes Valley Conference, finished 19-9 last season and lost in the quarterfinals of the Midwest Regional.
Other schools that recruited Richardson included Arkansas Tech, Oklahoma City University, Pittsburg State (KS) and Tarleton State (TX).
"He had a lot of interest," said Hawks Coach Tony Costello. "I fielded calls all Spring."
Richardson, who will take summer classes at LPC before heading to Kentucky, said that coming to LPC from New Orleans got him "out of the streets, where I would be doing things I shouldn't be doing."
He added that while playing for the Hawks, "I worked my hardest every day. Both coaches (Costello and assistant Don Underwood) pushed me to get better."
Said Costello, "Willie never had a bad practice. He always played his hardest, and that rubbed off on the other players."
That hard work paid off with his history-making signing Friday.
"It feels good to be the first one, like I accomplished something."
Welcome to the LPC Men's Basketball site
After finishing the 2008-09 season with 21 victories, the Hawks are preparing for bigger and better things next season. Here's what the Hawks will be trying to improve upon:
- LPC had its most successful season in its three-year history during 2008-09, recording a 21-9 overall record.
- The Hawks won tournament titles at LPC, Mendocino and Chabot.
- They started the season by winning their first eight games.
- They were ranked as high as No. 2 in Northern California and No. 3 in the state.
