Richard Win Record
63
COPPIN STATE CSU 0-13
80
Winner ULM ULM 7-4
COPPIN STATE CSU
0-13
63
Final
80
ULM ULM
7-4
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
COPPIN STATE CSU 26 37 63
ULM ULM 36 44 80

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

ULM Wins Fourth Straight; Richard Reaches Coaching Milestones

By Paul Letlow, ULMWarhawks.com Online Columnist
 
MONROE, La. – Keith Richard may or may not have even known he was approaching a milestone win Friday night as ULM's head basketball coach.
But add 'em up and sure enough, ULM's 80-63 victory over Coppin State was the 100th for Richard as coach of the Warhawks.
 
"I'm really happy about the win," Richard said. "The other thing, it's right in the middle of the season, so I haven't even really thought about it to be honest with you. But it makes you hesitate for a minute and realize you've been doing it a long time. I'm appreciative and happy that I'm able to do it at my alma mater."
 
The victory pulled double duty as No. 250 overall, including the 150 Richard collected as Louisiana Tech's head coach. He's had a hand in plenty more too as a player and assistant coach for ULM.

"I don't think people in college basketball realize the job he's done here," said former LSU coach Trent Johnson, who came to watch his former assistant in action. "Obviously, he's loyal to this institution because he played here. I'm biased, but I've been around a little bit. He's as good a basketball coach as there is. He's one of those guys who gets the most out of his players and the most out of his team." 
  
Late in the game, ULM event staff members distributed "100" placards to fans, so they could hold them up and commemorate the occasion. As he reaches a benchmark, let's also take a moment to appreciate Richard's contribution here.
   
Now in his ninth season, Richard earned his first ULM 100 the hard way. He inherited a program crippled by NCAA APR sanctions and spent his early years back on campus addressing academics.
 
"No one could have done what he's done," former ULM head coach Mike Vining said. "Most people probably wouldn't have taken it, and if they had taken it, they'd have left as soon as they could. He's a lot like me. He's doing what he wants to do where he wants to do it." 

With a clean bill of health in the classroom, the product on the court improved and Richard posted back-to-back 20-win seasons. Through it all, Richard's approach was to always keep grinding, no matter the odds.
   
"One of the best things I took away from Coach Richard is never get too high after a win and never get too low after a loss," said former point guard Nick Coppola, who weighed in via text on Friday night. "The next game is as important as the last game. I think you can apply that to a lot of aspects of life. I'm so happy Coach is getting his 100th win, and look forward to watching many more come."
       
The win over Coppin State was ULM's fourth in a row on a four-game homestand and boosted the season record to 7-4. Travis Munnings, who is Richard's longest-tenured player, knocked down a career-high eight three-pointers and scored a career-best 32 points to lead the way on Friday night. 

"I think that was really special for him," Munnings said. "He really puts in the work for us to be good. He tries to give us the right scouting reports and the right things to be successful on the court. I'm happy for him and proud for him to reach the 100 mark."

Coppin State put a decent effort for a team that fell to 0-13 on the season. Lamar Morgan scored 19 points and the visitors hung around into the second half. 
  
But Richard was excited about his current team as the season dawned and it's starting to make his forecast a good one. As advertised, the Warhawks are a fun to watch this season with more scoring options, more athleticism and added star power with the arrival of quicksilver guard Daishon Smith, who added 19 points.

"I'm super happy about my team," Richard said. "That was a grind game. They're not all going to be pretty. We're not going to jump out to double-digit leads like we've done the last three games. We had to gut this one out."
And that in a nutshell it describes Richard's body of work at ULM. 

Tailfeathers: ULM visits LSU on Dec. 28 before beginning Sun Belt Conference play at home against Little Rock on Jan. 3. … Munnings' prior career high for 3-pointers was five (twice). His career-high scoring was 31 against Rust College in 2017. … Coppin State's head coach Juan Dixon was the NCAA Final Four MVP after leading Maryland to the National Championship in 2002. … As a team, ULM made 13 of 25 3-pointers and shot 50-percent overall from the field (26-of-52). Michael Ertel was 3-for-3 on 3-pointers and scored 13 points. 

 
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