| Safe to say it’s gone well for Anna and Leah Richards, who visited other schools together before settling on Hope. Provided photo |
By Brian Lester
D3sports.com
Anna and Leah Richards weren’t sure if they would end up playing college basketball at the same school.
A trip to Hope a couple of years ago sold the twin sisters on the opportunity and they haven’t looked back.
Now, the All-MIAA sophomores are making memories together as part of a Hope women’s basketball team headed to the Sweet 16. The Flying Dutch (26-3) play Chicago (19-7) on Friday in a 5:30 p.m. matchup at UW-Oshkosh.
“We didn’t know if we would even go to the same school, but once we visited, it was clear to us Hope was the perfect fit,” Anna said. “The opportunity to compete in the NCAA tournament, it’s a neat opportunity, and we are glad we get to do it together.”
Leah agrees and understands how rare it is to get this shot as sisters.
“Not many get to play with a sibling in the NCAA Tournament, or even just at the college level,” Leah said. “It’s been a great experience. We know we are very fortunate to do this together and create memories.”
Head coach Brian Morehouse is glad to have the two on the same squad.
Anna is the leading scorer at 12.3 points per outing and is pulling down 5.7 rebounds per contest. Leah ranks third in scoring (11.2) and is averaging 7.1 rebounds per game.
“They bring a work ethic that is really hard to match, and they also bring competitive greatness every day,” Morehouse said. “They were really good as freshmen, but they went home over the summer and made the jump you hope all players make after their freshman year.
“They got stronger, quicker and also more skilled at basketball,” Morehouse added.
Anna shared her thoughts on where she made her biggest strides in the offseason after averaging 9.0 points and 4.2 rebounds as a freshman.
“For me, I wanted to be able to score on different levels,” Anna said. “I thought I shot the ball well as a freshman, but I didn’t attack as well. I focused on gaining strength and confidence.”
Leah, who averaged 7.6 points and 6.3 rebounds as a freshman, said she put a lot of emphasis on weight room work.
“I noticed last year that I needed to get stronger,” Leah said. “I wanted to be more confident in my strength and be a better player around the basket.”
But their improvements and their work ethic are only a couple of reasons why the two have been successful as college athletes.
They also bring state championship experience to the table, winning one as juniors in high school in Michigan at Lansing Catholic. And that big-game experience is paying dividends for the two in the NCAA tourney.
“We’ve played in a lot of close games. A lot of stressful games,” Leah said. “That is helping in college. We know what it’s like to go into a game prepared and have a calm sense about everything because we’ve been in those situations before.”
Anna agrees that the nerves are definitely eased in the NCAA tourney because of their backgrounds.
“It really helps us in the nervous-type moments,” Anna said. “We also know we’ve put in the work to be here and are there for each other.”
Their coach won’t argue with that.
“They bring a calm factor,” Morehouse said. “They’ve played in a lot of big games in high school, in some of the biggest arenas in our state, and they bring that winning mentality with them. And they do it without having arrogance or entitlement.”
That calming presence was especially key in a 90-85 overtime win over Illinois Wesleyan in the second round last Saturday.
The motivation this team has doesn’t hurt either. Hope won 21 games last season but didn’t make the NCAA tourney.
“Last year we got NPI-ed out of the tournament,” Morehouse said. “That was really frustrating. We’ve worked really hard since that disappointment to make sure we were playing meaningful games in March.”
It’s why the players have worked so hard for the opportunity.
“We are all there for each other and we all are willing to put in the work to be the best team we can be,” Anna said. “We compete against each other every day in practice because we know it’s only going to make us better as a team.”
There is, of course, an added layer of competitiveness between Anna and Leah.
“We are very competitive, especially going one-on-one, and we push each other,” Leah said. “We make each other better basketball players, coming to practice every day and competing at the highest level that we can.”
Morehouse notes that the expectations at Hope push the players to work hard. The Flying Dutch have three national championships.
“Every player wants to go to the final four and win a national championship, but do their actions match their words,” Morehouse said. “For this group, I don’t know where the weekend will land us, but at least we have an opportunity to keep playing.
“The actions and work ethic, and the investment in our culture match what their goals are. That’s an incredibly important part of the process,” Morehouse added.
Hope has won 10 consecutive games and is ranked seventh in the D3hoops.com poll. Chicago is No. 17.
The Flying Dutch are averaging 77 points per game and allowing 55.3. The Richards twins have played a key role, as has Maddie Petroelje, a first-team All-MIAA pick who is having a breakout year, averaging 11.9 points and 3.7 rebounds per game.
For Hope to keep playing, great basketball is a necessity.
“No team that plays poorly for a quarter this weekend is going to move on. The team that puts the eight best quarters together is going to move on,” Morehouse said. “Our goal is to play a good five minutes to start the game and then follow it up with another good five minutes.”
Anna and Leah are excited about the chance to keep this team pushing forward in the tournament.
The two have been playing basketball together since fourth or fifth grade and understand what it will take to be successful.
“We have to stay true to who we are as a team and also enjoy the moment at the same time,” Leah said. “It’s a big accomplishment to get this far.”
Anna echoes those thoughts and knows one of their biggest fans will be cheering them on in their mom. Interestingly enough, she went to school at Calvin, Hope’s biggest rival.
“Obviously she is a big Hope fan now,” Anna said.