Photos by Heather Belcher
Frank Richmond and Ron Chambers played basketball together at The College of Beckley years ago.
The name of the school is different now but their granddaughter, Kierra Richmond, will be walking that same campus next season, following in those same footsteps as a basketball player.
On Thursday Richmond, an all-state honorable mention in Class AAA a year ago, signed to play college basketball at WVU Tech, surrounded by friends and family at Shady Spring High School.
“Both of my grandpas played there,” Richmond said. “They actually played there together at the same time. I look up to both of them a lot. They were always teaching me about the game in different ways. After each game they’re always coming up to me and talking to me about it. Actually my pawpaw Chambers, he passed away, but he was inducted into the Hall of Fame at Richwood and went on to play at The College of Beckley. They got to play together which was really cool.”
A standout guard for the Tigers, the decision was easy and one of comfort. While it’s neat and not lost on Richmond she gets to follow a similar route as her grandparents, the environment Tech presented was appealing.
“Going in, I get really nervous around new people,” an excited Richmond said Thursday. “As soon as I went in they made me feel like it was a home. It’s 10 minutes away from my hometown but they just made me feel welcome and in a comfortable atmosphere. The atmosphere that they brought, I just loved it.”
Her head coach at the next level, Roger Hodge, heard about Richmond soon after taking the job and followed through. With two talented combo guards in twins Brittney and Whittney Justice set to graduate after this season, Richmond fit the profile of what he was looking for.
“We lose two pretty good players in the Justice twins and a third in Makayla Jones,” Hodge said. “I see a little bit of her game being the same as theirs. She’s got some versatility and she can attack it. She’s got some length and can shoot it and she’s a great kid from a great family. We think we’ve got the best of both worlds with a talented kid and good student as well.”
Emulating the players Hodge mentioned was another sell for Richmond.
“Going in they told me I could be like one of the Justice twins,” Richmond said. “That kind of makes me excited. Seeing them play, I know the standard is pretty high, but I’m going to push myself everyday and help my team. I really thought looking at the program, I could be a good fit.”
Before joining the reigning River States Conference champions, Richmond still has some unfinished business to tend to as her senior season opens on Monday.
After coming up just three points short of a state tournament berth last season, Richmond hopes to go out with a bang.
“Obviously we want to make it to states,”and excited Richmond said. “That’s been our goal. One of my personal goals is to get my 1,000 points. it’s been a personal goal since I started in third grade but all around it’s been the states part of it. There’s two other girls on the team and it’s hat we’ve talked about after every practice. Going to states and going to Charleston, that’s been our dream since we started playing together in sixth grade.”
Email: tylerjackson@lootpress.com and follow on Twitter @tjack94
Shady Spring’s Kierra Richmond makes it official, signs to play at WVU Tech. pic.twitter.com/FkFG3915JR
— Tyler Jackson (@TJack94) November 4, 2021
