How Reigan Richardson’s elevated game is pushing Duke through NCAA Tournament
Reigan Richardson is probably the most consistent player Kara Lawson has coached in her brief career.
The junior from Charlotte enters Duke’s Sweet 16 match-up Saturday as the team’s leading scorer (12.4 points), hitting 44.2% of her shots.
Richardson is also coming off back-to-back 20-point games in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, including a career high in scoring (28 points) and tied career high in rebounds (7) during the team’s upset over Ohio State. As a junior, she also has some of the most experience in comparison to her underclassmen teammates.
There are many factors the No. 7 seed Blue Devils attribute to their trip to the regional semifinals this weekend, and Richardson is one of them. It’s not just her scoring, though. Richardson provides leadership, a level-headed demeanor and aggressive approach on both ends of the floor.
“We are here because players like Reigan, Ashlon (Jackson) and Kennedy (Brown) embraced our young players early on and were patient with them,” Duke head coach Kara Lawson said Sunday. “If you had seen us in the summer, it was a train wreck (on) a lot of days. They were patient with them and poured into them, invested in them.”
Freshman Oluchi Okananwa said Richardson plays a large role on the team and is someone the Blue Devils rely upon.
Okananwa said the older players, including Richardson, helped her understand the timing of plays, ideal positioning and small details of a championship-level team.
“She’s really just been an excellent role model,” Okananwa said.
Lawson called the Georgia transfer “steady,” and no one ever wonders what they’re going to get from her. Even if shots aren’t falling, Richardson is defending, focused, detail-oriented. Her work ethic is praiseworthy and she doesn’t panic.
“It’s actually funny, because growing up I have not been the best with consistency. That’s something that I have been working on,” Richardson said Friday. “I know whether I’m going or not offensively, I can rely on other aspects of my game. I feel like that’s been a consistent part of my game, just trying to give 110% every time I’m on the floor.”
Lawson said her second-year guard has shown continuous growth since joining the program. Last year, she came off the bench and averaged nearly 14.7 minutes per game. It was a senior-loaded team, Lawson said, so she played more of a support role.
This season, Richardson has started every game and averages 28.8 minutes.
“She’s grown into that, being counted on every night to score and getting the better defenders now as a junior,” Lawson said. “She’s continuing to just learn how to handle that. ... I’m proud of how she’s grown and developed. She continues to be, I think, one of the best two-way players in our league and in the country. Obviously there’s a lot of good players out there, too. For us, she’s really important to what we do.”
Richardson said her confidence is at an “all-time high,” and she’s focused on getting in extra practice during the postseason. She doesn’t want to be on the “go home” side of “win or go home.”
Freshman Jadyn Donovan said the team loves Richardson as a person and a player for characteristics like that. She never has to say a word and can still rally the team, and everything she does is out of a desire to win.
Richardson and the Blue Devils (22-11) look to extend their season Saturday when they face No. 3 seed UConn (31-5). The game is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.
“It’s great to feel, because it’s like, OK, you have someone that has your back; someone that you can lean on in a tournament like this,” Donovan said.
This story was originally published March 29, 2024 at 12:00 AM with the headline "How Reigan Richardson’s elevated game is pushing Duke through NCAA Tournament."
