By Camille Tarazon
Daily Titan Staff Writer

Megan Richardson pulls up for a jump shot in front of the basket to score two points for the Titans. Photo by Lucio Villa/For the Daily Titan.

Megan Richardson is the type of player who is eager to learn, willing to be coached and determined to improve her game. There’s a spark inside of her that can ignite a promising future for this sophomore guard and her fire is nowhere near extinguishable.

In her second season on the women’s basketball team, Richardson has been the leading scorer in 12 of 23 games. Not to mention her career-high 29 points in her first game of the season versus San Jose State.

Last season she was named to the Big West Conference All-Freshman Team, the 14th player in Cal State Fullerton history to earn such an honor, and finished as the 13th leading scorer in the league, the only freshman on the list. Even then, she didn’t let that honor keep her from improving her game.

“When you’re playing in Division 1 college basketball, it takes a special level of commitment in order to keep taking your game to the next level, and she does that,” said Titan Head Coach Marcia Foster. “She gets better all of the time, but she gets better because she works on her game. She’s in the gym all of the time.”

Richardson began playing basketball when she was in kindergarten.

“My parents were really active and they always had me at the park,” said Richardson. “I was never the type to just sit around and play with Barbies. I played all of the sports: soccer, softball, basketball… but I loved basketball. I was just really active.”

Active she is. A typical day begins at 7 a.m.

As a declared business major, she plans on getting into real estate like the rest of her family. Richardson doesn’t let herself wait until the last minute to get things done. She manages her time constructively both on and off the court.

“She’s serious about school. She’s serious about basketball. But the kind of fire that comes out on the court, I think that’s unique,” said Foster.

Richardson’s drive and competitiveness can be spotted from the nosebleeds at any game.

“I saw her play a couple times when she was in high school and she was really passionate about the game,” said junior guard Lauren Chow. “Some games she has so much passion it pushes us to win. She gets us going and it sets the tone for the entire team.”

When asked about her future in basketball, Richardson guaranteed that her career won’t be ending two years from now when she’s done at CSUF. She would love to play professionally anywhere overseas if the opportunity presents itself.

“I would love for her to have the opportunity to continue to play on a professional level and I think that’s a wonderful and a serious possibility for her,” said Foster.

Don’t let the all-work-and-no-play mentality fool you. Richardson’s exaggerated reactions on the court keep the team laughing when watching film.

“I have the funniest falls,” admits Richardson. “Like, if I get hit, my reaction is to make sure the referee sees it… They always make fun of me.”

Richardson’s unexpected silliness is another sure way to get the team rolling.

Richardson drives to the basket at full speed. Photo by Lucio Villa/For the Daily Titan.

“Last year, there was this song by Trina on our warm up tape when we stretched. The first time we played it, Megan was repeating every word. We were looking at her like, ‘What? How do you know every word to this song?’ But she just kept singing and dancing to it,” said senior guard Jasmine Scott.

“It’s a song you wouldn’t expect her to know,” added junior guard Ashley Richie, who’s known Richardson since high school when they played on a travel team together.

Come game time, Richardson’s relationship with the team is obvious.

“I think when we pass the ball and share it, we are a very tough team. You can’t take away one person — so many different people can score. We’re unselfish, we pass the ball and we have really good chemistry. We all get along, which is great too.”

Radiating with selflessness, Richardson’s goal this season isn’t just one for herself, but one for the team. This season, the team is trying to make it to the NCAA tournament. The team has been following Foster’s inspirational words of always trying “to be a better version of yourself each day.” And that’s exactly what Richardson has been doing all year.

Richardson’s success doesn’t just stem from her talent. She works hard every single day.

However, along with success comes failure.

“I think when you love something and lay your heart out on the line, and you’re vulnerable, you’re not always going to succeed,” she said.

Richardson is always learning from her mistakes, in basketball and in school, and it helps her grow.

Before deciding on CSUF, Richardson was looking at other universities, such as Cal Poly, Princeton and Columbia, but her altruism played a role when choosing CSUF.

Not only did Richardson like the coaching staff and players when visiting the team, but the fact that Fullerton was close to home and her parents could attend her games was important. Not to mention all of the opposing teams in the league are in California, so her parents wouldn’t need to travel far to see their daughter play.

Like all of her players, Foster wants Richardson to have the best possible experience and “maximize” her talent while playing for CSUF.

“When you’re talented and you’re a good teammate, all kinds of good things can happen,” Foster said.