Former WKU assistant Richards named head coach at Alabama A&M

Published 4:23 pm Friday, June 3, 2016

Former Western Kentucky women’s basketball assistant Margaret Richards was named Friday as the new head coach at Alabama A&M.

“Margaret is a rising star in women’s basketball,” Alabama A&M athletic director Bryan Hicks said in a statement. “Her leadership skills and her enthusiastic approach to the game of women’s basketball will serve our program well.”

Richards took her first Division I head coaching job Friday after spending one season at Clemson.

Prior to that, Richards was head coach at St. Augustine College (2008-10), assistant coach at North Texas (2010-11), assistant coach at Weber State (2011-12) and assistant coach at WKU (2012-15).

Richards worked for three years under coach Michelle Clark-Heard with the Lady Toppers. She was one of the main recruiters at WKU, helping build rosters that won conference tournament championships in 2013-14 and 2014-15.

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The Lady Toppers went to NCAA Tournaments in both of those seasons and posted a 30-5 record in 2014-15.

Richards was a four-year letter-winner at Nebraska and ranked among the nation’s top 25 scorers in her senior season. Before that, she was an all-state honoree at Louisville Central High School, averaging 35.5 points per game as a senior.

“Really happy for my former player & former assistant coach @Mrichards03 for being named the new Head Coach @ Alabama A&M. #ProudCoach,” Heard tweeted Thursday night.

Richards is the second recent WKU assistant to take a first D-I head coaching job this offseason. Former Lady Topper player and assistant Camryn Whitaker was named Northern Kentucky’s head coach last month.