MIDDLETOWN, Ohio -- Mason boys’ basketball coach Greg Richards won his 300th career varsity basketball game Tuesday night in Middletown.
The visiting Comets defeated the Middies 68-57 in a Greater Miami Conference game played at Wade E. Miller Gymnasium. Richards improved to 300-151 overall in his career.
"You hope you can get there (to 300)," Richards said. "It's a good accomplishment but it's because of those guys in there (in the locker room)."
Junior forward Matt King had 12 points. Junior guard Eddie Puisis had 16 points and six assists. Senior forward Cameron Schreiter had 13 points and seven rebounds. Junior forward Ben Schutte had 11 points and six rebounds .
"It's an honor to play for a coach like coach Richards," King said. "He is so humble. He said in the locker room that it was not about him but it was about us. That typifies what he is all about. He is a great coach."
Mason (18-1), which won its first Greater Miami Conference outright title in program history Feb. 5, next plays host to Colerain at 7:30 p.m. Friday. The Mason athletic department plans to recognize Richards with a game basketball from Tuesday night prior to the tipoff.
Mason Athletic Director Scott Stemple said the boys’ basketball program has thrived under Richards.
“With Greg’s leadership, he has been able to instill stability,” Stemple told WCPO.com. “…In my 10 years (as athletic director) you would be very hard pressed if I ever see game where our kids didn’t always play hard and always were very sound offensively and defensively.”
Stemple said the Mason boys’ basketball program doesn’t aspire to be flashy and Richards would prefer to discuss the team instead of any coaching milestones. But, Richards should be commended for his leadership and consistency within the program for 21 years, Stemple said.
The Comets close out the regular season against visiting Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy on Saturday.
Mason plays the winner of St. Xavier and Withrow at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 23 at Lakota West in a Division I sectional semifinal.
Richards, inducted into the Mason High School Athletics Hall of Fame in 2002, has been the varsity boys’ basketball coach at Mason since the 1995-96 season. He’s also coached baseball and football, and was at one time the middle school athletic director.
As a member of the Fort Ancient Valley Conference, Mason won three consecutive league titles from 2005-07. Richards was named the coach of the year for each of those seasons.
Mason won the school’s first GMC title (co-champions with Lakota East) in 2014-15 and Richards was named conference coach of the year.
Richards announced his retirement from public education following the 2014-15 school year. He lives in Mason with his wife, Cathie. They have three children: Jessica, Kyle, and Kacey.
