June 15, 2009
Stasha Richards (1999-2003)
Reflect on your four years at Baylor:
"It was a great time for me. It was very beneficial for me to achieve my goals and dreams, and I just had a wonderful time playing with my teammates and being coached by my coaches. A lot of great memories come flooding back every time I go back to Waco."
What are some of your fondest memories?
"My fondest memory is at Oklahoma State winning that game, where Danielle (Crockrom) and I, two high school teammates, connected on a pass and a shot to win the game at the buzzer. Also, Coach Hogg's last game here at the Ferrell Center was a memorable game for us. Everything from all the road trips, the trip to Hawaii, and spending time with my teammates was memorable. I probably miss the locker room the most of all, just being with my teammates and always having fourteen people there for you whenever you need something."
What was your favorite class and teacher?
"I want to say Dr. Sadler, and he taught religion. That was my favorite class. I've always been very spiritual but just learning more about the Bible in depth was pretty interesting."
Why do you come back and work camp?
"I come back and work camp because I like being around Baylor, and I like being around my coaches, even though some of them are gone. I like being around the people that helped me get to where I am. I like being around the new players and seeing what they're up to and checking out the facilities. It's just a time for me to come back and reflect on everything and see where the program is headed."
What path have you taken since you graduated?
"I'm taking the path of coaching. I started out doing two years of high school at Crockett High School, I worked here at Reicher for a year, and then I went on to Eastern Kentucky, which is a Division I University in Richmond, Kentucky. Before that, I was at a junior college in west Texas, and now I'm the head coach at Fort Scott Community College in Kansas."
What are your future plans?
"My future plans are to keep coaching as long as I can and continue teaching the game. I love basketball. I love being around basketball, and I think I'm a pretty good coach I hope."
What do you think of all the changes in the campus and the athletic facilities?
"The campus has always looked great, and the new buildings look great. The changes have been wonderful. The gym looks good, the locker room is great, the new weight room is good, and the campus is great, and it shows the progress that Baylor has made in five short years."
Do you view Coach Mulkey as a mentor and if so, how so?
"Absolutely, I probably text message and email Coach at least once a week or definitely a couple times a month just about jobs, basketball, and life. She's been a very important part of my success as a coach, I take the values and things that we've learned here, like how to do things the right way. If that's the only thing I took from Baylor, is Coach always made us do things the right way, and I try to instill in that in my program and my players. It's just fun to take those lessons and pass them on to the younger generation. She is always going to be someone that is going to be important to me in my life, especially in my career and life in general."
How do you keep up with Lady Bear Basketball?
"I call, email, and text Johnny (Derrick), and Rekha (Patterson), and Coach. After big wins or bad losses, sometimes I wait a few days to text Coach. She's usually pretty positive about what is going on and always saying they're going to bounce back and keep their heads up. I try to get back to one game a year at least, and usually over Christmas break when I'm off."
You have brought your teams here sometimes to watch practice:
"I have. I think it's important for especially junior college kids to see where they're trying to go. That's why I like the junior college level because I still have kids that are aspiring to these places, and I've had my top player last year go to South Florida and is playing in the Big East. I think her coming here and seeing that Coach Richards isn't crazy, and the people at the top are doing things the right way. I always point at that National Championship banner. They are winning championships and Big 12 Championships. I think it is important for them to see that and to know that they have a coach that comes from a very strong coaching background and to see the success. I think success breeds success and for them to see it at Baylor and what Baylor is doing now, that they are going to use that positively and take that into their own careers and be good players. It's important for us to bring our kids back here and see how these girls have accomplished so much and have worked so hard. I think that they deserve as many fans as they can get."
