COMING OF AGE, INTO HER PRIME
Deauzya “Didi” Richards always has been talented, ending her high school career by leading Cypress Ranch to the Class 6A championship game and facing the nation’s best at the McDonald’s All-American Game and Jordan Brand Classic.
But before her highlight-filled senior season, the Baylor signee struggled with injuries and the weight of feeling she had to carry her team. The Mustangs were always talented but came up short in the playoffs.
It came together in 2016-17. More conditioning in the offseason resulted in fewer injuries and the Mustangs got contributions from up and down the roster.
And they had Richards, a 6-1 guard who led Cy Ranch in scoring (18.5 points per game) and rebounding (8.2).
“I felt like Didi matured this year,” Mustangs coach Tresa Martin-Hornsby said. “She was able to shine because she was able to relax. That was the biggest part of her game this year.”
Q: Cy Ranch went through years of injuries and adversity to reach state. How was dealing with that before the eventual trip to the state finals?
A: “This was by far the most successful year we’ve had here at Cy Ranch, so I was happy with the outcome although we didn’t win. It was a long process, but it was fun to finally get there. I feel like we could have gotten there last year, but there were all the injuries. But knowing that we got there showed to everyone that we were good.”
Q: You didn’t miss a game this season. When did that last happen?
A: “I don’t think ever. I’ve always had weak ankles. And even to this day, I’m scared to run on them without getting taped. They say that’s not good and I need to strengthen them, but I don’t want to get hurt again so I keep ankle braces on and tape.”
Q: The Mustangs got into weights a lot more. How was that for you?
A: “I hate lifting weights and running as you can tell, but we lifted more and I feel like that’s why we weren’t as injured as much as the past years. We did a lot more conditioning and strengthening, so staying fit and building my core helped me. That’s what I’m going to take from my senior year.”
Q: What is your favorite moment from this season?
A: “State was a good moment until we lost. But I think the best part are the bus rides everywhere. Those bus rides are fun. It’s the music — it’s really loud and it’s the throwback songs. Like we’ll put on T-Pain or something nobody listens to anymore, and it’s so fun. Our friends who don’t really talk will rap a whole verse and we’re all like, ‘What are you doing?’ ”
Q: Ariana Whitfield gets overshadowed but just how valuable was she when it mattered this season?
A: “She was crazy important. Before, a lot of people keyed in on me so her doing that opened everybody else up. You couldn’t just key on me, Jayla (Buster) or one person. You had to key her, Jayla, Shadiya (Thomas), D’Asia (Collins) and me. We just had a strong five.”
Q: How do you deal with the boxand-1 defenses and the constant double teams?
A: “I get going off of defense. So if I get a steal, they don’t have time to get in the box-and-1. Or if I get rebound and push the ball, they don’t have time to get in the trap they were going to do. So if you see me get a couple of rebounds, then I say, ‘I’m good. You can guard me anyway now.’ ”
Q: Would you rather score 25 or 30 points, double-digit rebounds or those six or seven steals?
A: “I feel like my game is the little things. If I have a bad game scoring-wise, I’m still stuffing stats somewhere else. It doesn’t really matter what I do as long as we win, but it’s always fun to score.”
Q: Who was the one player you enjoyed facing?
A: “Either North Shore or Langham Creek because I’m real close with (North Shore guard) Chasity (Patterson) and (Langham Creek guard) Kayla Owens. … They’ve always beat me and I’d get mad. Kayla beat me bad freshman year and Chasity blew us out last year. I was hurt. So it felt good beating them.”