When her family moved from Aiea to Kailua, Brandy Richardson was in for an entirely new chapter in her young life.
Her father, Pat Richardson, signed her up for KYAC basketball league, sixth grade division. That’s where coach Jay Atkins saw Brandy during tryouts. Atkins had the No. 1 pick in the league draft.
“Jay could have picked a boy, but his first pick was Brandy,” Pat Richardson recalled. “She outscored the boys he didn’t pick.”
So she spent her sixth grade basketball season playing for the KYAC Sharks, swishing baskets with her left-handed stroke, a strong rebounder with clean ballhandling skills. New town. New team. New league, even.
“KBA was really well established,” said Brandy Richardson, now a co-athletic director at Kamehameha. “When we moved to Kailua, my dad saw a banner on a fence. We didn’t know KBA was the league where all the premier kids played, the Punahou and ‘Iolani kids. I remember riding my bike to practice, the outdoor courts at Aikahi.”
Atkins was straightforward with his team of young hoopsters.
“What Coach Jay instilled in me was hard work. He said, ‘I don’t know how to coach basketball, but we will work hard and nobody will be in better condition.’ We wound up winning the league,” Richardson recalled. “I was just a young girl looking to play basketball. I still stay in touch with Coach Jay.”
Atkins later became an assistant athletic director at Kalaheo.
He recalls Richardson’s halcyon days as a dominant keiki player vividly.
“Our league had only four teams in the beginning. My sons played. The second season, we had only two teams. We merged with KBA and started beating their teams. At the end of the season, KBA has their shindig at the park with a ceremony and awards. They said the highest scorer in the league was another kid and I said, ‘Whoa, whoa, whoa.’ So I said my piece. Brandy was definitely the highest scorer. They didn’t recognize her because they claimed we weren’t a part of KBA,” Atkins said.
What followed for Richardson was a career in athletics like no other. Four-time All-State selection and three-time state Player of the Year at Kalaheo. Recruited by Hawaii, UCLA, Arizona and many more, choosing Big West powerhouse UC Santa Barbara. Physical education teacher, coach, referee, CrossFit champion.
“Oh my gosh, she was a force to be reckoned with in girls basketball. We’ve had great players, but she’s athletic, powerful, driven. Just a very smart, intelligent player. It was great to see her take her game to UC Santa Barbara and continue to get better,” said Dana Takahara-Dias, Kaiser’s vice principal who played for the UH Wahine and coached at Moanalua. “She’s contributed so much as an official and now administrator. She’s given so much back to the sport that gave much to her,”
Richardson’s biggest splash as an athlete came in “Stone Cold” Steve Austin’s reality show “Broken Skull Challenge” on cable TV. She won her episode, ousting three competitors in a desert setting.
Since then, Richardson, 39, has entered a new chapter as a mother of two daughters.
“I was very blessed to have this opportunity, especially at a school like Kamehameha. Pauahi has provided a lot for myself, helping me go back to school through scholarships for my master’s,” she said. “I haven’t even been on the job for one year, but I started in the thick of opening up from COVID.
“Deep down, I knew when we got through this time that the focus would be on sports.
“I know how much sports has done for me, so I know how important it is to get kids back in sports safely.”
She has made the unique adjustment from high school and collegiate student-athlete to coaching and officiating and to administration.
“Administration, it’s further removed from why I got into sports, but the neat thing is I get to work with coaches. Instead of working with 15 basketball players, I’m working with 15 coaches, bouncing ideas back and forth. It’s a wider reach,” Richardson said.
A key element of administration is relationships with parents.
“At the private schools, the parents are curious and they just want to know why. If you can answer that, they’re usually more understanding and more willing to work with you. Parents aren’t going anywhere. You have to find a way to work with them,” she said. “As an athletic director, you get to educate your parents, your coaches and your players. It’s about working together. It’s my mission in life to make sports a better place. I would not want my daughter to play for a coach who allows her to do things wrong. It’s tough to be a coach in this day and age, and as an AD, I understand that.”
The 50th anniversary of the passage of Title IX is momentous. Richardson reflects on its impact.
“Am I happy with the progress since I was a kid? Definitely. Title IX has definitely benefited girls in women’s sports. It’s neat to see that, but as far as where money gets distributed on the college level, I feel there’s a lot more work that needs to be done. Look at the NCAA women’s tournament. The men bring in more revenue and I get it, but one of the women (Oregon’s Sedona Prince) showed (a video) and the difference between the women’s weight room and the men’s. It went viral,” Richardson noted. “As an athletic director, the choices for decisions — I get to question things more. I work with (co-athletic director) Ed Paola, who is really good about equal access for females and males. “
Brotherly tough love
As a youngster, Richardson dabbled in soccer before basketball, but the fiercest competition was often in her driveway.
“I have two brothers, Kaipo and JJ. A big reason I am where I am today is them. They taught me the physicality of basketball,” she said.
Kaipo Richardson is only one year older than Brandy.
“He’s so naturally athletic. We would play one-on-one, and my mom would have to come outside and referee because it would get so physical. She said, ‘You can’t play any more, you’ll hurt each other.’ Hours and hours in the driveway,” Richardson said.
Pat Richardson remembers those years vividly.
“There were blows sometimes. I would have to hold them back. They’re hitting each other, choking each other. I’d tell them, ‘It’s only a game.’ But she would say, ‘He cheats!’ They just hate losing. Kaipo took Brandy to another level, both in the gym and the driveway. At the gym, they were more nice because people are watching,” he said.
She spent time working out with cousin Nani Cockett, one of the greatest hoopsters in prep and Rainbow Wahine history. There were also years of training at Kalakaua Clinic with legendary coach Dennis Agena.
“Dennis took the time to teach her the game. Took them to the mainland,” Pat Richardson said.
Agena remembers seeing Brandy play for the first time.
“She was a big girl and her skills weren’t that good. She was just strong, and when she worked on her skills, she was dominating. She was a lady playing against young girls,” Agena said. “One thing about her, she’s a gentle giant. She was always nice and soft-spoken, well liked by her peers. When you play basketball and they respect you, that’s really great. She was always humble.”
Before seventh grade, she applied to several schools. Her uncle, Clay Cockett, was the coach at Kamehameha. However, Richardson was not accepted. She also applied at ‘Iolani, where her friend Monica Tokoro would become an All-State guard.
“We would ride our bikes on the Pearl Harbor bike path and go play five-on-five with grown men. We would bring $20 and play grown men two-on-two,” Richardson said. “That’s how we’d go and play basketball.”
She was declined at Punahou and ‘Iolani as well. She kept playing hard. Coach Agena’s requirements of academic accountability had a positive effect. No grades, no clinic.
Then-Kalaheo coach Chico Furtado also heard about Richardson.
“I guess the word got out that I could play. Coach Chico got wind that there was this sixth grade girl who played at the parks. … My eighth grade year, he said, ‘We have a jersey waiting for you. Come play summer ball with us.’ “
Before freshman year, the private schools were interested.
“They asked me to apply again going into ninth grade, but I stayed loyal to Chico. My path was public school under the leadership of Chico Furtado as a coach,” Richardson said. “I was able to focus on basketball and I knew that education would open up doors. Basketball was my pathway. It all worked out in the end and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Built a Kalaheo dynasty
Kalaheo’s dynasty included five consecutive OIA championships (1998-2002), the first four with Richardson. The Lady Mustangs were stymied, however, at the state championships. In ’00, Kalaheo faced Kamehameha in the final. Richardson scored 18 points in the first half, but Clay Cockett had the Warriors hold the ball for most of the third quarter, fueling Kamehameha’s 37-28 title win.
Kalaheo returned to the state final in ’01, losing to Aiea 52-45.
Furtado’s impact on Richardson’s career wasn’t limited to the court. He did research on college programs hoping to land the 6-foot senior.
“It was a crazy time. I was probably in contact with over 20 schools on the phone. Probably got 10 letters a day. We met often to narrow down the process. Coach Chico walked me through it, and him being a college career counselor, he did all the research for me,” Richardson said. “I was 17, 18 and he pulled up all the coaches’ records, what the coaches stood for, and we narrowed it down to location.”
Her final four were Hawaii, UC Santa Barbara, UCLA and Arizona.
“At the time, Santa Barbara was the most competitive. Their track record was going to the NCAA Tournament every year. (Hawaii coach) Vince Goo was the first to show up at my house. I know deep down inside I could’ve made it work at UH, but I wanted to grow more as a person. Santa Barbara had the whole package,” Richardson said. “Coach used basketball as a vehicle for life lessons. We were a top-10 recruiting class, so that was another selling point. A family atmosphere. I knew it would be a good fit for at least five years.”
A serious ankle injury marked the end of Richardson’s senior season at UCSB, but she wrapped up her bachelor’s degree in women’s studies. She moved back to the islands and applied with the DOE.
“I’m 22 and I did an interview. He said, ‘I have a principal who likes to hire athletes.’ I went to Bobby Stevens at Radford,” she said. “He asked me, ‘What do you want to do with your life?’ I want to coach. ‘Do you want to teach?’ I said, ‘If that’s what it takes.’ “
Because Richardson wanted to teach physical education, Stevens told her to go back to school. She received a master’s degree in kinesiology from UH Manoa.
“It went by pretty quick,” she said.
She was hired to teach P.E. at Radford, where she coached the boys basketball JV team under Dwayne Keys for three years. Then she became the girls varsity coach for three years.
“I was at Radford for a total of 11 years, then I moved over to the district level and got into refereeing at this point,” Richardson said.
She was good in the stripes. She also spent time running clinics with D1, a girls basketball developmental program. One provided some extra cash. The other filled her tank.
She was so good at officiating, Richardson eventually worked college games. The possibility of working at the pro level — the WNBA — was getting closer.
“It’s no secret that officiating is a tough career to pursue. You definitely have to have thick skin,” she said.
“It’s important to surround yourself with like-minded people, always trying to get better. You’ve got to put in the time, watch film. Now you have a video review, how you can get better position on a call,” she said.
“It’s a tough side of the game to be in. It just adds to your knowledge of the game. We’re in need of officials. I got a lot of help and they were there to help me along the way.
“There are great officials out there, but it’s definitely not a career for everybody.”
Richardson still fills in and officiates games at the youth level, including the recent Pacific Rim Championships at the Hawaii Convention Center. She is content, though, to be an administrator rather than a full-time referee.
“I did college for three years. When I got into officiating, it was just to make a few extra dollars. ‘Are you going into high school?’ I hadn’t even thought about it. Then, ‘Are you going into college?’ Next thing, Andrea Osborne gives me a position to ref in the Pac West, then she offers me Big West,” Richardson said.
It was a no to anything beyond.
“The logistics, I would have to move to the mainland. I’ve got two young ones, so that’s off the table,” she said. “I thought about it, but refereeing doesn’t fill my cup. Working with coaches and players fills my cup. I’m wired to help, and through officiating you are help, but it’s not something I need. My integrity for the game, my respect for the game, being able to give back, that’s very valuable in officiating, so if I can help in any way, I try to.”
It can be a lonely place to be, calling games, including state championship battles. It is almost impossible to make everyone happy, and underneath it all, Richardson is a competitor who enjoys bringing people together.
CrossFit success
She also enjoys the self-imposed challenge sometimes. Long before her CrossFit career began, she would enjoy long runs, the byproduct of three years on the Kalaheo cross country team. A friend invited her to try out but never showed up.
“I got tricked into doing cross country. (Lee) Cashman was the athletic director at the time. He said, ‘There’s a no-quit rule.’ I stuck with it for three years. I still go on long runs and it clears my mind,” she said. “Our coach would drop us off in some strange area and say, ‘Run back to campus.’ We used to run Kapaa Quarry Road all the time. We used to run to Olomana.”
One day, Richardson ran up Koko Head.
“My fastest time was 13:40 and I was always competitive with myself trying to beat my time. Kelii Bandmann found out I was doing Koko Head and he knew about me through basketball. He asked if I ever did CrossFit,” she said.
That led Richardson back to an old pal, Elyse Umeda, former standout guard and two-time captain at Punahou. Umeda owns and operates CrossFit 808.
“Elyse, I’ve known so long. She was a player who was feisty. She’d been trying to get me to train with her. The rest was history. The challenge of CrossFit kept me coming back for more,” Richardson said.
She began training for CrossFit 808 in 2008-09. The team included Richardson, former UH player Kyla Evers and Umeda, placing first in the Northern California regional in 2012 and ’13. The team was second in ’14, and also second in the California regional in ’15 and ’16.
“The ideal is 5-5 and 145 (pounds), so I knew the odds were stacked against me. You’re walking on your hands and I had no skills doing that. My students at Radford, I’d take them to the gym. I was 28, and a cheerleader and a breakdancer taught me how to walk on my hands during lunch recess,” Richardson said.
“They taught their coach something and, for me, it was humbling. You can learn a lot from your students.”
CrossFit is now on the back burner.
“I do it more so for fitness than competition. Mental toughness is a non-negotiable. It led me to be able to train the strength and conditioning side of athletes,” she said. “It fits into my life now. I have forever friendships and relationships because of CrossFit, what I hold dear. It really does.”
The “Broken Skull Challenge” brought out all her athleticism from basketball and CrossFit, but learning to wrestle and win in rugged games, and race on a difficult obstacle course was rewarding. After beating three women in various competitions, Richardson took on Austin’s rugged 10-discipline obstacle course. If Richardson finished the course — competitors have been known to fail to finish it — and beat the existing best time, she would win $10,000.
“I was in my prime doing CrossFit. I lost the obstacle course by 20 seconds. The level of confidence that CrossFit provides, overcoming challenges, is not just physical. In a challenging day as an AD, as a coach in high school or college, you go through that,” she said.
A comeback at some point isn’t out of the question for Richardson, but it’s clearly not a priority.
“The neat thing is I’m 39, my daughters are 5 and 2. My life is doing it for fitness, and I want them to see that it’s the norm, making a leadership decision, you don’t have to do what society tells you to be. If my daughter sees me throwing around a 225-pound squat clean, that’s normal,” she said. “My priorities right now are my kids.My girls don’t have to be like everyone else. They can take the road less traveled and that’s OK.”
Brandy Richardson
Athletics
>> Four-time All-State selection and three-time All-State Player of the Year (1999-2001) in basketball at Kalaheo
>> Three-year letterman in cross country, Kalaheo
>> Four-year letterman, UC Santa Barbara basketball
>> Big West Conference Defensive Player of the Year (2003-04)
>> CrossFit 808 team, No. 1 (Northern California regional) 2012, ’13; second in ’14; second in California regional ’15 and ’16
>> “Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Challenge,” top finisher ’16
Education
>> Kalaheo High school graduate
>> Bachelor’s degree, women’s studies, UC Santa Barbara
>> Master’s degree, kinesiology, Hawaii
Coaching/Administration
>> Currently, co-athletic director, Kamehameha Schools
>> Physical education teacher, Radford High School
>> Health and physical education resource teacher, Windward District
>> Boys basketball junior varsity coach, Radford
>> Girls basketball varsity coach, Radford
June 23, 2022, marked the 50th anniversary of Title IX. To commemorate this watershed event, the Star-Advertiser will publish a series of stories celebrating the achievements of female pioneers and leaders with Hawaii ties.
Click here to view the Title IX series.
