What Birmingham Regional NCAA tournament players know about Alabama
What do NCAA Women’s Tournament basketball players at Birmingham Regional know about state of Alabama? Not much. That’s what we found out.
USA TODAY Sports Network
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — There are people to call, and people to not, when in the midst of an emergency.
Duke women’s basketball sophomore Delaney Thomas said senior Reigan Richardson falls in the latter category.
“We all love Reigan very much,” sophomore Jadyn Donovan said. “She’s a bit quiet, I’d say, but definitely has good humor. You know of have to know her to get that out of her. … She does not text that much in our team group chat, but when she does, we all get super excited. Definitely a great teammate, and great person to be around.”
Sophomore Oluchi Okananwa, Thomas and Donovan were in fits of laughter while Okananwa recounted her 21st birthday in February. Turns out, the greatest gift she received was Richardson’s presence at dinner.
“I kid you not, because she surprised me,” Okananwa said. “I don’t know if she got you guys (Thomas and Donovan) in on it, but I remember being like, ‘Ugh, I’m not going to see Reigan.’ And then she came, and that was the best gift I could’ve asked for.”
Duke coach Kara Lawson recounted recruiting Richardson. She didn’t get to do it properly, because when Lawson was hired with the Blue Devils, Richardson was in her rookie season with Georgia. The North Carolina native played 29 games with the Bulldogs under Joni Taylor in 2021, averaging 5.8 points and 1.6 rebounds per game. Lawson admitted she didn’t even know who Richardson was.
“When she came into the portal, I was of course very interested, with her being from Charlotte,” Lawson said. “She had gone to a high academics high school, and she was a player I thought was trending upward when I watched her games at Georgia.”
She’d been gaining traction as the SEC schedule progressed, so Lawson gave her a call.
It went straight to voicemail.
Richardson never answered the phone.
“If you call Reigan the first time, she never picks up, but she’ll always call you back,” Lawson said.
Lawson couldn’t gauge if she was interested or not. If someone’s interested, they’d surely answer the phone. But that’s just Richardson. She’s soft-spoken and focused, which Lawson learned quickly from former Georgia associate head coach Karen Lange’s insider knowledge.
“She spoke so highly of her work ethic and her approach to the game and what she felt her potential could be, so that all fit together,” Lawson said. “Then Reigan came on her visit, and it was just a good fit.”
Personality-wise, it’s been a challenge for coach and player. Lawson and Richardson have had to work extra hard at building rapport, but the last three years have been valuable. When they get frustrated with each other, they know it comes from a place of love. From a place of pushing each other to unlock their full potential. A place of deep and everlasting trust.
“It’s just been a great overall partnership that we’ve built,” Lawson said.
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