Munford guard Mary Richardson signs a basketball scholarship with Dyersburg State

Munford guard Mary Richardson was one of the better basketball players in Tipton County last season, but she wasn’t sure she had the talent to play at the next level.

Then came a strong first half of her senior season and a visit to Dyersburg State, where her mother, Trenna Richardson, is a professor.

“I was going to go into the military,” Richardson said. “My mom didn’t want me to go. She was trying to find connections. She went and talked to the coach and sent him my transcript and he was real interested.”

Richardson committed to the program last week and made it official during a signing ceremony Wednesday morning in the Munford High School library.

The athletic guard has been one of the main reasons the Lady Cougars have been much better this season and stayed in the thick of the District 13-AAA race.

“I didn’t really think I was good enough,” she said. “I planned on just going to college. This year, I was like, ‘Maybe I can go to a community college or something.'”

Richardson spent some time with the DSCC team after a recent game and “really felt their energy.”

Munford head coach Steve Poindexter said, “She has a ton of potential. I hope she makes the most of it.”