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Wednesday, July 26, 2000
Richardson
By Dave Reardon
changes mind
Star-BulletinBrandy Richardson -- one of the best girls' high school basketball players in state history -- returned to Hawaii yesterday after eight days at her new home in Anaheim, Calif. Richardson, a senior-to-be, will return to Kalaheo High School, where she starred for the Mustangs and was named the Star-Bulletin's Ms. Basketball Hawaii as a sophomore and junior.
Richardson led Kalaheo to the final game of last spring's state tournament.
"She's back to stay, she will graduate with her friends at Kalaheo," said her father, Pat Richardson, who lives on Oahu. "She called me from California and told me her heart wasn't in it, it was in Hawaii. I talked to her about trying to stay with it for a month or two, but she was very unhappy. She really missed all her friends and coach Chico (Furtado)."
After playing with the Hawaii Select team in two tournaments, Brandy Richardson moved as planned with her mother, Lowana, to Anaheim to care for Lowana's ailing father.
Brandy was to attend national basketball power Brea Olinda in Orange County for her senior year. She went with the team to San Diego to play in a tournament last week.
"According to (University of Hawaii coach) Vince Goo, who was there, watching the tournament, she played really well," Pat Richardson said.
Furtado's Kalaheo teams won three Oahu Interscholastic Association titles with Richardson, and a fourth now seems very likely.
"I was told by several people that she was extremely unhappy," Furtado said. "That can be a tough adjustment, even for adults. Obviously this puts us in a very good position, but as I told her from the beginning, if she was going to be happy in L.A., hey, great."
