Richards Selected Lady Falcon Head Basketball Coach

Richards Selected Lady Falcon Head Basketball Coach

April 2, 2009

Saint Augustine’s College named interim head coach Margaret Richards as full-time head women’s basketball coach effective April 1. Richards was the interim head coach during the 2008-09 season when the Lady Falcons posted a 15-14 overall record and reached the CIAA Tournament semifinals for the first time since 2003.

“Our women’s basketball program made great strides this past season under the leadership of Coach Margaret Richards,” President Dr. Dianne Boardley Suber said. “Coach Richards is a talented young coach who has been able to put the Lady Falcons on a path towards championship performances. Athletic Director Coach [George] Williams and I agree that she has earned the opportunity to continue her coaching career here at Saint Augustine's College."

In her first season as a college head coach, Richards directed the Lady Falcons to a season sweep of defending CIAA champion Shaw University, which was nationally ranked at one point in the season. It was the first time the Lady Falcons swept their crosstown rival since the 1999-2000 season, and it also snapped a 12-game losing streak to the Lady Bears.

Other highlights include a victory over CIAA Western Division champion Fayetteville State University in the CIAA Tournament quarterfinals, and a win over nationally-ranked Nova Southeastern University in the season opener. Under Richards’ guidance, the Lady Falcons placed Allison Sikes (Richmond, Va.) and Keyona Bryant (Springdale, Md.) on the All-CIAA team. Bryant was also the CIAA women’s basketball rookie of the year.

“It has been a true honor to be appointed as the Head Women's Basketball Coach for Saint Augustine's College,” Richards said. “I would like to first thank the President and the Athletic Director for giving me this wonderful opportunity to be a part of a great athletic family. I plan to work hard and help these young ladies be successful on and off the court. We have a great vision for this program, and we are striving everyday to take it to the next level.”

Richards came to Saint Augustine’s College from the University of Louisville where she served as a graduate assistant coach for the women’s basketball team. In the 2007-08 season, the Lady Cardinals reached the Sweet 16 for the first time in the school’s history.

Richards also served as an assistant women’s basketball coach at Kentucky State University from 2005 to 2007. During her two-year stay, Richards helped the women’s basketball program go from consecutive losing seasons to a 19-win season.

As a basketball player, Richards was a four-year guard at the University of Nebraska where she was team captain her last two seasons. During her time at Nebraska, Richards helped the Lady Cornhuskers reach the NIT Tournament and earn a spot in the Top 25 national rankings.

Richards earned her bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies and double minored in Sociology and Ethnic Studies from the University of Nebraska in 2003.

A native of Louisville, Ky., Richards scored over 2,000 points and collected over 1,000 rebounds at Louisville Central High School. She was selected to play on the 1999 Kentucky All-Star Team in the Kentucky-Indiana All-Star Basketball Game her senior year.