On January 15, Kaila Richards ’25, a Senior from Far Rockaway, New York, and co-captain of Girls Varsity Basketball, reached an impressive milestone— 1,000 career high school points. She paired this with yet another prestigious achievement, as she was named a McDonald’s All American 2025 East Nominee.
Despite first playing basketball in first grade, Richards didn’t start taking it seriously until the end of seventh grade. Richards said, “I didn’t really like basketball that much until I went to my older brother’s games. Seeing how close he was with his teammates got me into basketball.”
Richards was recruited to play at Hotchkiss before her Prep year. Richards said, “I hit a lot of adversity when I came here, as I’ve had three different head coaches. It was a struggle at first, because I was recruited by Coach Mike Hickey and was disappointed to learn I would no longer be playing under him. Even though it was tough, I’m really grateful for all the coaching changes, because it broadened my game and improved my mindset.”
This season is Richard’s second year as co-captain of the team along with Morgan Jenkins ’25, Eleanor Helm ’25, and Grace Backus ’25. New player Amaya McNeil ’27 said, “From Kaila’s leadership, I learned that the hard work you put in during practice isn’t the only hard work you need to put in. You need to also put in time and effort when coaches are not watching!”
This season, the captains introduced a system where they each work with small groups of players on Fridays, creating opportunities to teach and build trust within the team. Head Coach Langston Ross said, “Kaila is a lead-by-example captain. She’s not the most vocal or boisterous, but I do see the underclass students looking up to her, because she’s putting in so much work.”
After spending nearly four years with the team and at the school, Richards has had the opportunity to compete in many high-level games and tournaments and watch the team’s evolution from year to year. Richards said, “On the court, I learned that I could be uplifted by my teammates, that the team is supposed to be a safe and fun space, and that my teammates will always be there for me. Off the court, I’ve learned how to adapt to different team cultures, as the culture has changed each year. When I was a Prep, there was only one Senior on the team, which meant it lacked some leadership. However, the majority of the team were Upper Mids. Even though many of my teammates were older, I learned that I didn’t have to be laid back just because of my age.”
Currently in the middle of her fourth straight winning season, Richards said, “My favorite memory was our playoff run in my Lower Mid season. We made it to the first NEPSAC Class A championship in program history. We beat Sacred Heart and Thayer in the initial rounds, but unfortunately lost to Loomis in the championship. We were never expected to get as far as we did. However, the battle that my team and I had throughout that entire stretch was a really amazing experience.”
Richards has been highly recruited by a number of competitive programs. Richards first received interest from D1 college Holy Cross in her Lower Mid year; during the spring of her Upper Mid year, she received eleven offers in the span of two months. She said, “Even though the process could be overwhelming at times, it was also exciting. The best thing about it was going to different campuses and meeting new coaches. It gave me a sense of self, as I was able to understand what I like in a school or program.”
Richards ultimately committed to play D1 basketball at Bucknell University. She said, “The moment I stepped foot on Bucknell’s campus, I felt it was the school for me. I really love the coaching staff and the way they already had a vision for me. They told me how I would fit into the team and how they would help improve my game.”
On January 15, Richards sank a free throw against Green Farms Academy to hit her 1,000th point at the school, a number only a few other players have reached in program history. Richards has scored countless points and didn’t think much about the 1,000th point milestone until her dad called her to tell her she only needed one more point. Richards said, “When I scored the free throw, everyone started cheering for me. The journey was great, with the thousands of reps I put in leading up to that one point.”
On January 15, Richards was named a McDonald’s All-American East Nominee, an honor given to around 150 female players from the East region each year. Another 150 players are nominated from the West. From these nominations, 24 players—12 from the East and 12 from the West—were selected to compete in the McDonald’s All-American game, a showcase of the nation’s top talent in a traditional West vs. East format.
Coach Ross said, “Her being nominated for this honor signifies the work she has put in. She doesn’t do it for the recognition per se, but I think people see the impact she has on the team.” The final selections were made on January 27, and Kaila was not among those chosen to participate in the final game.
As Richards looks ahead to her time at Bucknell, she has goals both on and off the court.
Richards said, “In college, I plan on majoring in neuroscience. Basketball-wise, my goal is to be an impact player and help my team win the conference championship. I also want to be the starting point guard as a freshman, which I know won’t be easy. Even if not as my career, I plan on sticking to basketball. Maybe I’ll come back to Hotchkiss and run a clinic or train kids from home. If the opportunity does present itself and I get the chance to play professionally or overseas, I’m open to that.”
The team is currently looking towards the championships again with a 9-1 record. Their next game is February 12 at Kent.
