Chickasaw girl tops rankings in national basketball review

This article appeared in the January 2017 edition of the Chickasaw Times

ADA, Okla. - Sania Richardson is a 10-year-old achiever. This young Chickasaw can be found honing her basketball skills every afternoon.

Hard work and dedication have paid off for Sania. She is ranked the top Naismith National Youth All American 10-year-old female basketball player in the country. This past year Sania has been on two nationally ranked teams. Her home team, Below the Rim, Oklahoma City, ranked third. She was also invited to play with the now number one-ranked Arkansas Mavericks during the Amateur Athletic Union nationals.

“I like playing for the basketball associations,” Sania said. “It’s amazing. We travel all over the country competing against the best players in the nation. I am meeting people who feel the same as I do about basketball.”

Sania’s father Theron Richardson knows basketball is in Sania’s blood. Her grandfather, J.D. Harding, was a respected ball player. He earned a tryout with the famed Harlem Globetrotters during the height of their popularity. Both Mr. Richardson and Sania’s mother, Maribel, played college basketball in Oklahoma.

Sania plays point guard, the position for the best ballhandlers. Point guards are often considered the “coach on the floor” by teammates and coaches. Point guards drive the ball down court to initiate offensive plays.

“I have been playing basketball since I was a little kid,” Sania said. “I started before kindergarten. My dad bought me a basketball goal and we would shoot a little bit in the house. I just fell in love with the game.”

According to Mr. Richardson, basketball is teaching Sania important life lessons that will stay with her for the rest of her life. As point guard, and often the youngest and only girl on her team, she is learning how to lead others.

“My biggest strength is dribbling,” Sania said. “I usually get the ball and take it down court to pass to my friends. But if I have an open shot, I will take it. It is important to take shots yourself, but to also play as a team. It feels good to show the boys how to play.”

Sania’s competitive nature helps her excel at school. She is a straight A student.

“Sania’s talent is natural,” Mr. Richardson said. “God has blessed us with certain tools. It is up to us to sharpen them. We are taking that natural talent and developing it. To me, her best skill is intangible. She is a natural a team player, smart and so competitive. She wants to work to get better. Those are things you can’t teach.”

Sania practices with the Future Stars Athletic basketball team in Ada. Her reputation as a player, along with her father’s skill as a basketball coach, lead to playing opportunities in metropolitan areas.

“The coaches in Oklahoma City trust my husband’s coaching skills enough to know she is working out every day, both by herself and in a team environment,” Mrs. Richardson said. “She proves herself every time she gets on the court with them.”

The commitment from the Richardson family to pursue Sania’s basketball dreams goes beyond her daily practice schedule. With the 2017 season beginning this month, Sania will be playing in one or two tournaments a month to remain ranked. Some of these tournaments are played in Oklahoma City, and she will also play in national events in Houston and Dallas, Little Rock, Arkansas, and in tournaments as far away as Orlando, Florida.

“We love being part of basketball organizations at this level,” Mrs. Richardson said. “Everybody has the same goals for their kids. The parents and the kids are just as competitive as we are. Everybody is supportive. We all help each other out, we all have the same goals. Everyone wants their kids to be recognized at the national level.”

During the 2016 season, Sania was invited to play with the Arkansas Mavericks. Competing against approximately 50 other teams containing the best players in the country, the Mavericks earned the top rating in the country during the national tournament in Florida.

As important as the ranking system is, Mr. Richardson believes organizational rankings are not paramount to his daughter’s success.

“I already know Sania is the best player in the country for her age, so I personally don’t care about the rankings,” Mr. Richardson said. “The rankings do allow Sania to know that her work and commitment is paying off, giving her something to work towards each year. Rankings give her a short term goal to reach. What is essential to me is that she is meeting some of the best coaches and players in the state and nation. She is already networking. College recruiting starts early.”

The end game for the Richardson family and Sania is to sharpen her skills to the point of attaining an athletic scholarship to a major university. Sania’s dream is to attend the University of Connecticut, home to one of the top women’s college basketball programs in the country.

“I would have good coaches if I went to UConn (University of Connecticut),” Sania said. “Geno Auriemma is the best coach in college. He has a really good team. Moriah Jefferson is my star player. I look up to her. She used to go to UConn. Now she plays in the WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Association). I went to one of UConn’s game, I talked to Coach Geno. It was really cool seeing and talking to him.”