Santa Teresa basketball coach following in grandfather Nolan Richardson’s footsteps

Whelton Richardson might be a first-year varsity head basketball coach at Santa Teresa, but he’s learned from the best along the way.

Richardson takes over a Desert Warriors team that won the 2012 4A state title under the guidance of the late Bob Haack.

Haack certainly left his mark on the world of basketball in the Borderland, having also guided Hanks, Bel Air, Parkland, and Socorro to great success.

“Here at Santa Teresa, he’s pretty much mentored me,” said Whelton Richardson of Haack.

But Whelton Richardson isn’t walking in the footsteps of just one legendary coach.

His grandfather happens to be Nolan Richardson. Nolan was a star at Bowie before his playing days at Texas Western. He then became a very successful college coach, winning a national title at the junior college level and then going on to win the national title at the D-1 level with Arkansas in 1994.

“Trying to follow my grandfather, those are pretty big shoes to try to fill,” said Whelton Richardson, who played at Hanks High School under Bob Haack. “But I’m going to try my best to do what I can.”

He says he’s going to try to emulate the style of play that made his grandfather not only famous, but a champion.

“He was big on “40 minutes of Hell,” said Whelton. “I want to do “32 Minutes of Hell,” so that’s what I want to try to bring to the table.”

While following in the footsteps of a legend won’t be easy, Whelton says he knows he’ll at least have Nolan to turn to during difficult times.

“I still go to him and ask him for ideas and his thoughts on what I should have done in certain situations, what could I do to be better,” said Whelton. “And for him it’s just, ‘Take your time. Things will happen.'”