Alabama A&M Women’s Basketball Coach Stepping Down After 8 Seasons

Margaret Richards has coached her last game as she is leaving to pursue other opportunities.

The women’s basketball coach at Alabama A&M will be heading out the door as the school has announced that she is stepping down after eight seasons.

AAMU head coach Margaret Richards has coached her last game at the school as the Director of Athletics, Dr. Paul A. Bryant, stated on Tuesday, March 19, that Richards is leaving to pursue other opportunities.

“We are grateful for the dedication and effort that Coach Richards has shown during her tenure with the Alabama A&M University women’s basketball program,” Bryant said in a written statement. “Her commitment to our student-athletes has been unwavering, and we wish her the best in her future endeavors.”

Richards coached the team to 15 wins this season but lost 16, yet they had a home record of 10-4 at the AAMU Event Center. The news comes a week after the team suffered a season-ending loss in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Women’s Basketball Tournament Quarterfinals on Thursday, March 14, killing any chances of appearing in the NCAA Tournament. They rallied back from a 23-point half deficit but fell short to Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 82-74.

“I am so proud of our young ladies for competing and fighting,” Richards said after the loss. “We were down by 23, and they could have very easily packed it in and gave up. But they competed and fought extremely hard like I knew they would. We came up short tonight, but I love how hard we fought and played.”

One of the team’s accomplishments this year was Kaylah Turner’s selection as the All-SWAC Freshman of the Year, Amiah Simmons, who scored a career-high 34 points in the last game, was also named to the conference’s All-Second Team.

Richards had a record of 97-125 over the past eight seasons coaching the team. Her teams reached the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Women’s Basketball Tournament six times while making it to the semifinals during the 2019-2020 season. She compiled a 69-70 record in SWAC play. Two years ago, during the 2021-2022 season, Richards took the team to a second-place finish in the SWAC, winning a school-best 13 conference wins.

A national search will begin immediately.