Opelousas’ PG Shows Talent
BOBBY ARDOIN
St. Landry Now.com Editor
She’s a point guard who can score and when it’s time to make appropriate on-court decisions, Jada Richard apparently displays an acumen that satisfies Kim Mulkey.
Richard, an Opelousas native who has now claimed a starting point guard spot for the LSU women’s basketball team, seemingly possesses essentials that Mulkey requires to help keep the Lady Tigers ranked No. 6 nationally.
Compared to last year, this season has been quite a contrast for Richard, a sophomore who reigned in 2024 as the Gatorade Louisiana Player of the Year.
As an LSU freshman, Richard started one of 33 games and averaged 2.8 points.
This year Richard has started 22 of 23 games, averaging 5.5 points and 43.2 percent from the field.
Mulkey is quick to indicate the array of assets Richard brings.
“Jada Richard, she’s our glue. She’s our coach on the floor. She’s got all the tools you need in a point guard. She knows how to win,” Mulkey said on Sunday after LSU defeated No. 24 Alabama 103-62 at the Maravich Assembly Center.
January was particularly advantageous for Richard.
Richard scored 21 points in a win at Oklahoma on Jan. 18 and 20 against Florida eight nights later.
On Sunday Richard provided 16 against Alabama as the Tigers (19-4) won a seventh straight.
It’s obvious Mulkey said that Richard knows a little bit about winning.
As a starter at Lafayette Christian, Richard also played point guard for a program that won four straight championships in various classifications.
“(Richard) comes from a high school winning program. It’s all she’s ever done in her life. All she’s ever played is point guard. And you add the fact that she can score the ball. You can’t get off on Jada. Jada will light you up,” Mulkey added on Sunday.
At LCA Richard was the senior class valedictorian, an academic quality Mulkey also sees when Richard is on the court.
During her senior high school season, Richard received a deluge of college basketball offers that reportedly included Louisiana Tech, UL-Lafayette, Ole Miss, Houston, and eight other Division 1 programs.
“She figures it out. Jada’s IQ with basketball is something you have to be around every day to see. Great ones go back and they watch their mistakes. I love that about competitors,” Mulkey said following the victory over Florida.
In several previous interviews, Richard has credited her mother, Cynthia Guillory, who played basketball at Southern University.
Quincy Richard, father of Jada Richard, was a three-sport athlete at Opelousas High, an athletic resume that included basketball.
