Richardson glad Gauchos open at home
By Leila Wai
Advertiser Staff Writer
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| UCSB's Brandy Richardson was the Big West's Defensive Player of the Year.
Associated Press Let us know Homegrown Report chronicles feats of former Hawai'i high school athletes. If you know of any deserving of recognition, give us their names, high schools and graduation years, colleges and sports. E-mail us or contact Leila Wai at 535-2457. Homegrown Report appears every Wednesday in The Honolulu Advertiser. |
UC Santa Barbara received the No. 11 seed in the East Region and will host sixth-seeded Colorado in a first-round game at UCSB's Thunderdome Saturday.
"Tomorrow we could have been on an airplane," Richardson, a 2001 graduate of Kalaheo from 'Aiea, said yesterday. "Just to be able to play at home is a huge advantage for any team. Santa Barbara is a nicer place to be in than say, Lubbock, Texas."
Richardson's play is one of the reasons the Gauchos were able to host the first two rounds. Richardson recently was named the Big West Defensive Player of the Year, the first time a Gaucho won one of the conference's three all-specialty awards since they were introduced in 2000-01.
"I was excited about that because I pride myself on defense," she said. "In high school I don't even think I played defense. I got away with things because I was so tall."
She also earned Big West honorable mention honors Monday for the second year in a row, leading a UC Santa Barbara defense that held opponents to a 36 percent field goal percentage that ranks 18th nationally. She is second on the team with 6.8 rebounds per game, and she averages six points per game.
Richardson has played in 30 games, starting 25 for the Gauchos (25-6), who earned their eighth consecutive automatic bid by posting a 68-51 victory over Idaho last Saturday in the championship game of the Big West Conference Tournament.
"The scary thing was we had to win the Big West in order to play on our home court," she said.
Richardson said that it was important for the team to host the first two rounds, especially because they started the semester on the road, missing the first week of school.
"We're in the middle of finals, and just being able to go to classes was really nice," she said.
She said it is also nice to be able to stick to a normal, daily routine, including the 10-minute drive from her off-campus apartment to the gym.
She said the Thunderdome, which seats about 6,000 people, is sold out for Saturday's game.
The Gauchos normally draw about 2,500 to 3,000 fans.
Richardson is not the only player from Hawai'i in the tournament.
Senior guard Raelen Self (Kamehameha '00 of Makaha) has started all 29 games, averaging 29.6 minutes per game for Loyola Marymount, the West Coast Conference champions. She averages 4.6 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game.
Loyola Marymount (24-5) received the league's automatic bid into the NCAA tournament.
The Lions play Baylor on Saturday at Albuquerque, N.M.
LMU freshman forward Becky Hogue (Punahou '03 of Kailua) played in six games and a total of 10 minutes, averaging 0.5 points per game.
Reach Leila Wai at lwai@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2457.
