Women’s basketball team lands prized recruit
Lancers add coveted power forward to roster with championship potential
Four years of persistence paid off in a big way on Friday for University of Windsor Lancers women’s basketball head coach Chantal Vallee.
Power forward Jessica Richards had been a recruiting target of Vallee for the past four seasons and on Friday, the six-foot-two Richards signed on with the Lancers after playing two collegiate seasons in the United States.
“This is a long work in progress,” Vallee said. “She’s a seasoned player who will come in and do really well.”
Vallee got her first glimpse of Richards when she was a junior at Barrie Innisdale High School, where she was co-MVP of the team for three straight seasons and averaged 18.7 points and 12.3 rebounds while shooting 55 per cent from the floor, 85 per cent from the free throw line and 35 per cent from threepoint range.
“It’s funny because this is the time we had Jessica Clemencon owning the paint for our team,” Vallee said. “I saw Jessica Richards and I said, ‘You’re just like our Jess. You have the same moves. You’re as strong as she is, and you’d be a great fit for us.’ At that point, that year, her dream was to go play NCAA.” Richards verbally committed to Robert Morris University in Pennsylvania after her Grade 11 season, but changed to Division I Murray State University in Kentucky by graduation. However, she ended up redshirting her freshman year after suffering a stress fracture in her left foot and then saw the coach who recruited her fired.
She transferred to Division II Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville, Tenn. She played in 22 contests this past season, but averaged just 11.9 minutes and 3.6 points a game. She was contemplating another transfer when she got a call from Vallee in March. “We got pretty close over the years,” the 20-year-old Richards said of Vallee. “The entire time, we kept in touch in high school and in university, to see how I was doing.
“When she called me up, out of the blue, I knew I was transferring and I knew it wasn’t a coincidence. This is it. Someone’s telling me I need to go here.” Richards arrived in Windsor on Friday to sign on with a huge smile, believing she’s finally found a home.
“When Chantal called, I know she cares and wants the best for everyone,” Richards said. “It (Trevecca) was a great school and all, but not for me. I told coach, since high school, that if I was coming to Canada, that Windsor was the school.
“I feel like this will be my home for the next four plus years. I’m excited to be under coach Chantal’s wing. I think it will be really good for me and bring the best out of me.”
With all-star forward Emily Prevost lost to graduation, Vallee gets a player who can slide right into the starting lineup at her spot, and another piece of what Vallee believes is a roster with championship potential. “With Emily gone, she fits right in,” Vallee said. “She’s going to slide right into that position and challenge Olivia (Osamusali) at the five (centre). She’ll contribute right away. She’s a seasoned player who will come in and do really well.”
Richards is the third addition to Vallee’s recruiting class, joining college all-star forward Yasmeen (Yazzy) Smith and sixfoot-two high school standout Maddy Adams from Cambridge. “So, it’s big in terms of impact and big in terms of height, and a team that can really compete,” Vallee said. “Once we have the height like this, we have good shooters. We have people who can attack the basket. “Now, we’re getting to be threedimensional, and that’s the type of thing that we had when we won all these championships, and we’re young because nine or 10 (players) are in their second year. So, if we don’t win this coming year ... by the third, fourth or fifth year, it will be tough to touch us, I think.”