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 Biz Richmann ’09 almost didn’t come to Oglethorpe. Because she did, she played in an NCAA tournament game as a freshman and was named the Georgia Women’s Intersport Network Collegiate Sportswoman of the Year for 2006. What was it that made her choose Oglethorpe?
“It was a gut feeling,” the math major from Lawrenceville explains. “I had it down to two schools and had almost decided on LaGrange, but Coach Sattele told me that wasn’t acceptable. He really showed me what a great place Oglethorpe was, and he was right. This is the right place to be.”
As a math major, Biz gets plenty of personal attention from her professors. “Math comes pretty easily to me,” she says. “But Transition to Higher Mathematics was a little harder. Since there were only 10 people in the class, I was able to go to Dr. Tiu and get his help. If I had to miss a class for basketball, I could catch up easier too.”
Basketball has been a big part of Biz’s college life, and she’s been well-recognized for her efforts. Her record on the court, including starting all 28 games of her freshman year, puts her near the top of most SCAC rankings – third in defensive rebounds, fourth in rebounding, fourth in steals, sixth in offensive rebounds, 10th in field goal percentage, 12th in free throw percentage, 15th in scoring – and earned her All Conference Honorable Mention for 2005-06.
The young team had a record-breaking year, finishing 21-7 and earning the women their first spot in the NCAA championship. “I can still remember very clearly the night we found out we made the championship. A group of us all went to [Athletic Director] Jay Gardiner’s office, waiting to hear whether or not we got in. It was the first time in school history [that the women made it to that level], a real exciting time for the team.”
Growing up, she watched her father coach her two brothers in basketball, but she wanted to play too. With coaching from dad, she started playing in leagues and then made the 8th grade team. “I was inspired by the high school team in middle school. It gave me something to strive for,” she says. “I wanted to play in high school for Coach Cass Cassell. It was a dream of mine as a little kid. To be able to step up into that role, to play for Central Gwinnett, was exciting. And now, playing on the college level is great.”
These days, it’s Biz who serves as a role model, helping to coach St. Pius X’s middle school league. Ever since eighth grade, it’s been a dream come true for Biz.
“Coming into the season last year, I was expecting to get some playing time, hoping to earn my starting spot later in the season, but I never imagined that I would be able to do the things we did,” Biz says. “And as a team of freshmen. It’s one of those once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. Hopefully we’ll make it to the NCAA championship tournament each year.”
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