Diane Richardson, who led Towson to its first NCAA Tournament appearance in school history, has been named Temple University‘s Women’s Basketball head coach, announced Vice President and Director of Athletics Arthur Johnson.
Temple will introduce Richardson at a news conference on Wednesday, April 6, 2022, at 10 am. Click here to watch.
“I am excited to announce that Diane Richardson will be our next women’s basketball coach at Temple University,” said Johnson. “Diane is an amazing woman who has had incredible success in not just coaching, but all aspects of her life. It was her drive and passion that separated her from the other candidates, as well as her incredible success at Towson. I look forward to working with her to return Temple women’s basketball to one of the top teams in the country.”
“I want to thank President Wingard, Arthur Johnson, Jessica Reo and the entire committee for this incredible opportunity to become the head women’s basketball coach at Temple University,” said Richardson. “Temple has a rich tradition of success in women’s basketball, and I am thrilled to take over this program and work hard to take it to the next level.”
Richardson, who led Towson to more postseason appearances (2) in her five years at the helm than in the program’s previous 49 seasons of existence (1), owns an 80-66 overall head coaching record. This past season, she led Towson to a school record 24 wins and only its second berth in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT).
In 2018-19, her second season as Towson’s head coach, Richardson led the Tigers to the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament Championship and the program’s first NCAA Tournament berth in program history. Towson finished that season with a 20-13 overall record, marking just the second 20-win season in program history.
Under Richardson, Towson’s Kionna Jeter became the first player in program history to be selected in the WNBA Draft when she was drafted in the third round of the 2021 draft. Jeter enjoyed sustained success under Richardson’s guidance as she was also the first player in program history to earn three consecutive All-CAA first team selections.
Before Towson, Richardson worked as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at West Virginia University (2016-17) following coaching stints at George Washington University (2012-16), the University of Maryland (2007-08), and American University (2006-07).
As the recruiting coordinator at West Virginia, Richardson led the efforts which helped the Mountaineers’ 2017 recruiting class being ranked No. 17 by ESPNW. At Maryland, she helped lead the Terrapins to a 33-4 record and a number one seed in the NCAA Tournament.
In eight years of head coaching experience at the high school level, Richardson led Riverdale Baptist High School in Upper Marlboro, Md. to five National Championships and was ranked in USA Today’s Top 10 in five of her eight years. Richardson was named the National High School Coach of the Year in 2005 and coached a host of talented players including Temple alum Tyonna Williams, a 1,000-point career scorer.
From 2009-2016, Richardson coached WNBA All-Star Jonquel Jones at Riverdale Baptist (2009-12) and again at George Washington (2012-16). Jones was selected sixth overall in the 2016 WNBA Draft after being one of the most decorated players in George Washington’s history.
Richardson’s path to coaching was a unique one. A highly successful businesswoman who was named one of the top female executives in the country in 1995, Richardson, who at the time was the Founder and COO of American Security Corporation, decided to walk away from corporate America to pursue her passion for mentoring young women through coaching basketball.
Richardson earned her master’s degree in management from Central Michigan in 1984 and holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and sociology from Frostburg State. As the 1979 NCAA Regional Champion in the 200- and 400-meter races, she earned a spot on the 1980 U.S. Olympic team.
Richardson and her husband, Larry, have four children, Dana, Larry “Donnie” II, Jonquel and Michael.
Photo Courtesy Temple Athletics
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