Drew Richards

Drew Richards bio via UNCPBraves.com

After leading Lander to its most regular-season wins in 20 years, as well as a Peach Belt Conference Tournament title, as the head coach of the Bearcats in 2019-20, Drew Richards returned to Pembroke in March 2020 as the 16th head coach of the Braves. 

It will be the second coaching stint at UNCP for Richards, who helped guide the Braves to a 113-43 (.724) record and four NCAA Tournament appearances as an associate head coach from 2014-19. The Braves compiled a 72-29 (.713) record against conference foes over that span, and captured the PBC regular season and tournament championships in both 2016-17 and 2017-18. 

In his lone season with the Bearcats in Greenwood, S.C., the nine-year college coaching veteran helped lead the program on a 10-game turnaround from an 12-17 clip in 2018-19 to a 23-8 mark in 2019-20. The Bearcats concluded the 2019-20 campaign with a 15-1 mark at home, and rolled through the PBC Tournament on the way to a conference championship and the league’s automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament. 

Richards began his collegiate coaching career at Missouri State-West Plains, where he helped lead helped pace the Grizzlies to a cumulative 63-30 record in two seasons, as well as the 2012-13 NJCAA Region XVI regular season title. His 2011-12 team finished ninth nationally in field goal percentage defense while also setting a program record for fewest points allowed in a season. 

As a player, Richards spent four seasons at Missouri State, where his Bears teams averaged 20 wins per season and made three trips to the National Invitational Tournament (NIT). He played in 118 games, making 69 starts, including 56 over his final two seasons. He led the team in blocks each of his final three campaigns and currently ranks third in program history in career blocks. 

Richards played professionally for one season with Erdgas Ehingen Steeples, where he finished ninth in the league in blocked shots and 12th in rebounds per game during the 2008-09 seasons. 

Richards earned his bachelor's degree in public relations from Missouri State in 2008, while also earning his master's degree in sports science from the United States Sports Academy in 2013. He and his wife, Caeli, have two children, Knox and Benton.

Follow Drew Richards on Twitter: @DrewT_Richards

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