Richardson coaches life and basketball

THE WOODLANDS, Texas -- Many coaches have had a love of their sport since they were young. Coaches have grown up living and breathing their sport which makes them perfect at their job. College Park High School girls varsity coach Michelle Richardson has a passion for basketball unlike the average high school head coach. She always had an interest in coaching because her father and uncle both were basketball coaches. Because of this, she was around basketball for most of her life, which translated to the special relationship she has with the sport.

“Back in Gatesville, when I was a kid, there were no video games or computers to play on,” Richardson said. “You got outside with a ball and played in the dirt or wherever you could play. Basketball was what I wanted to play from an early age. I can't even remember how long I have been playing!”

She continued to play into her high school years, playing any position her coaches needed her to play. Her career came to a sudden stop when she tore her ACL twice. It took her a year and a half to recover from the first tear, and the second only complicated things. After recovering from the shock of her injuries, she first tried to go into a career in physical therapy. This was not enough to satisfy her, as her love for the sport was to much to keep her away. Therefore, she did what felt natural and began coaching after graduating from Texas A&M.

Her drive to win comes from a natural competitiveness and a hatred for losing. Richardson pushes her girls to the edge to outlast any opponent through the use of tough and demanding practices. Her style of training translates to her high expectations and standards she wants her girls to meet in the gym. Richardson prides herself in the fact that her girls are consistently young shooters. The coach has experience with creating her younger players to become not just great shooters, but developing them into what she needs to fit her system. But her players are not the only things she will be pushing. Richardson has twins on the way, so her students will have to face new challenges and adjust to life without their coach. Richardson is confident that they will pull through.

“My goal when I coach these girls is to teach them a life lesson. I compare basketball to life,” Richardson said. “Life isn't easy, and if you can make it through my program then I believe you will be better prepared to face the challenges ahead. I really do care about these girls, so I want to teach them about life every time we hit the court.”

Richardson is humble when it comes to her success, and she gives all the credit to her group of young athletes. “My teams are always talented and understand each other, which is what makes me proud. There is no doubt that my success comes from the players,” Richardson said.