"This is our team, not my team," Richerson said. "I am looking forward to building relationships and being with these girls.
"I want to help them develop skills and develop them on and off the court."
Richerson, who has been an assistant under Benji Wood in North Hall’s boys program since 2005, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville on a full basketball scholarship. During his career there, he played on two Big South Conference championship teams and in two NCAA Division-I tournaments.
A native of Florida, Richerson was selected first team all-state twice during his high school career.
"(Hiring Richerson) was a challenging decision because we had so many highly qualified applicants," Gheesling said. "However, once we had gone through the process, it became clear that Bryan Richerson was the right choice, not only for his demonstrated leadership ability and excellent basketball knowledge, but also for his outstanding teaching skills and positive relationships he has built in the community while serving as an assistant coach at North Hall."
Richerson will be replacing Debbie Blake who resigned her position with the Lady Trojans in April.
During Blake’s four years at the helm, she amassed a record of 50-43 and took North Hall to the state playoffs three times, including the Class AAA quarterfinals in 2006. She also led the Lady Trojans to the 2007 Lanierland tournament title.
The first order of business for Richerson will be replacing, in some capacity, the team’s top two offensive performers from 2007 — graduating seniors Letiecia Davenport and Elizabeth Williams.
Davenport finished her four-year varsity career as the school’s leading scorer, while as the team’s point guard, Williams helped lead the team to three straight state playoff appearances.
"We’re going to have to overcome two big losses (in Davenport and Williams)," Richerson said. "It’s going to take a lot of discipline and dedication on the defensive end because our defense will have to be our offense.
"We’ve got a great community here at North Hall and I am looking forward to giving them a program they can be proud of."