Cy Ranch star doesn’t have to shine brightest
SAN ANTONIO — Didi Richards can’t remember who told the joke and who actually made the other laugh, but the star of Cypress Ranch’s state-bound basketball team definitely remembers that first practice with Ariana Whitfield.
“She hated me,” Richards said, chuckling. “She didn’t look at me. She didn’t talk to me. I was always goofy, so she thought I was annoying — like everybody thinks. Now we’re inseparable.”
‘Ariana is our rock’
The two have come a long way, so much so that despite Richards’ All-American status, she doesn’t hesitate when describing how good Whitfield is and what the senior guard means to the program.
“Ariana is our rock,” Cy Ranch coach Tresa Martin Hornsby said.
Richards, a Baylor signee, leads the Mustangs in both scoring (18.7 points per game) and rebounding (8.4). After the state tournament, she’s heading to the prestigious McDonald’s All-American Game and Jordan Brand Classic.
The Mustangs (31-6) face Pflugerville (31-7) in the Class 6A semifinals at 7 p.m. Friday at the Alamodome in San Antonio. The winner faces defending champion Duncanville (37- 2) or Converse Judson (28-6) in the title game Saturday.
Whitfield, an SMU signee, doesn’t mind the spotlight on Richards.
“We’re like sisters,” Whitfield said. “That’s pretty much what it is. It’s more than what others think or that she’s scoring more. Sometimes we try to see who can score the most. We compete with each other. So it’s like, ‘OK, you got me this time. I’ll get you next time.’ ”
Whitfield got into basketball when she was 6. Her parents introduced her to other sports and she even thought about playing volleyball at Cy Ranch.
“It was fun but it wasn’t where I belonged,” she said. “(Basketball) was where I felt God put me. It was where I needed to be.”
Soon she was competing against Richards in summer basketball. Richards went to Whitfield’s team practice and got the cold shoulder. Then came laughter — and friendship.
Grew into role
As Cy Ranch got better, so did Whitfield both as a player and as a leader.
“Behind the scenes and in the locker room, she’s always the one that has that extra thing to say,” Richards said. “I’ve never been good with talking to people, so whenever I have something to say, I’ll say, ‘Ari, can you please tell so and so whatever.’ And she’ll go, ‘Yeah, I got it.’ ”
“This is the type of team where you have to do your role,” Whitfield said. “If Didi’s role is to score, then she’s going to score. If my role is step in and lead, that’s what I’m going to do. There’s no jealousy. We’re going to go whatever it takes.”