It’s not often you see a true freshman role into a program and make an immediate impact, but that’s exactly what Ada freshman Sania Richardson is doing. Head coach Christie Jennings said of Richardson, “she is a great player and even better teammate. She makes everyone around her better. She is being highly recruited by several DI schools as a freshman.”
We wanted to get to know this freshman phenom better and get her thoughts on the team and who has influenced her on and off the court.
VYPE: What do you love most about your team and teammates?
Richardson: The biggest thing I love about my team and my teammates is no matter what, we are always going to have each other’s back even if one of us is in the right or wrong. There’s been plenty of incidences on and off the court we’re they showed some type of loyalty towards me and each other. I felt like we just picked that trait up so quickly as soon as we started practicing together. Honestly, we really didn’t have to go through the ups and downs when there was no type of chemistry in our team. I know if I was in any type of situation and I need someone to have my back, it would be them.
VYPE: What is your favorite subject in school and who is your favorite teacher?
Richardson: If I’m being for real, I really don’t like school (laughs), but if I had to pick my favorite subject, it would be English. I don’t really have a favorite teacher that is teaching me right now, but when I moved to Ada my seventh grade year and I had maybe three teachers that made school fun for me: Mrs. Simon, coach Strong, and coach Madison. I will never forget those teachers, I’m very appreciative of them.
VYPE: Who has been a big influence in your life? Explain
Richardson: I have to think about this one for a while. I feel like my biggest influence this year has been my parents. 2021 hasn’t been a great year, we had several family members that passed due to COVID-19 and that has just passed due to their health. They have showed me that in tough situations like that, even though it hurts, it will only hurt for a little bit. “You always got to get up the next day and work,” words from coach Jennings. The clock doesn’t stop, you can’t feel sorry for yourself, you just got to accept it and keep pushing. This can go for any situation though, not just the situation that my parents have been through. For me, it could be after a bad game or anything life situation I talk to them about. I love that my parents have introduced me to that at a young age. They have been showing and telling me this since I started taking basketball seriously. All it is, is just mental toughness.
