WHEELING, W.VA. (WTRF)- The Wheeling University Cardinals have named Chris Richardson the program’s new head men’s basketball coach. “He is familiar with the landscape of the Mountain East Conference and he served as assistant coach for both Fairmont State and the University of Charleston so he decided that his third trek as a coach would be at the best university in West Virginia, Wheeling University,” said Ginny Favede, Wheeling University’s President.
Chris Richardson, a Charleston, West Virginia native, joins the Cardinals after serving six seasons as the University of Central Missouri Assistant coach.
During his time with the Mules, Central Missouri went 104-73 and made an appearance in the NCAA Division two Tournament. Richardson says he’s happy to be back in his family’s home state and he’s looking forward to coaching at Wheeling University.
“That’s the leadership and the excitement that’s present at this university right now at this moment. You know, President, your positivity, your excitement, your vision, your enthusiasm, that made me so excited that before I even applied for the job, I knew that this is a place that I wanted to be and I wanted to be for a long time,” said Richardson.
The Cardinals men’s basketball team boasts a lot of rich history. The men’s basketball program was the first organized sport to be played on campus, dating back to 1956.
“It dates all of the way back to Ed Coin the first coach, then it continued through the likes of Paul Baker, Tim Obrien, Jay, Dan Sancomb, John Peckinpaugh, and Will Ryan who did an exceptional job this past season. I’m excited to build on that foundation, the standards are the standards and we will not hide from those. We will embrace that,” said Richardson.
And as Richardson starts a new era of basketball at Wheeling U, he plans to focus on what the game of basketball is all about.
“This is a players game, it always has been, it always will be. And we’re going to be a player’s program. We are going to tailor our offense to showcase and fit the individual strength of our personnel,” said Richardson.
