The opportunity to do so at an elite level is positively exciting for the Dunedin Tall Fern.
Richards has signed with Southern Hoiho for this year’s Tauihi Basketball Aotearoa, the new women’s NBL equivalent, in which players will receive equal payments to that in the men’s league.
The 1.87m forward has always fitted in playing at home when she has been able to.
But the majority of her exploits have been overseas, since leaving St Hilda’s Collegiate in 2015.
She spent four years at college in the United States, while playing professionally in Australia with the Rockingham Flames last year.
That had always been the trade-off for elite women’s basketballers — chase a professional career overseas, or stay home close to family.
Being in the Tauihi league would change that.
"It’s awesome to be back home and playing in front of my family," Richards (24) said.
"Just being able to be back in my city, because professionally you usually do have to travel outside of your home town to get contracts.
"It’s really exciting I can at least stay for some of this year in New Zealand and then see what happens after that."
Richards felt she had not played her best in Australia, although she developed a lot while there.
Her 8.5 points and 6.6 rebounds per game were good enough to play for the Tall Ferns at last year’s Asia Cup, though, and she is a significant signing for the Hoiho.
She holds herself to high expectations and Australia had helped her learn to manage those.
"I do put a lot of pressure on myself, which I shouldn’t," she said.
"But I have high expectations and goals I want to achieve. Any team I play for, I want to be playing my best. It’s just trying to balance that.
"Fighting that medium of putting pressure on yourself to be at your best, but also realising what you’ve achieved, take a step back and relax, and play your game."
That attitude would help her on her return home, where she has very much become the star of women’s basketball in the South and a face of the league nationally.
It is not something that seems normal to her just yet, either.
She still has plenty of moments where she feels a sense of surreality about the opportunities she is getting.
Few would work harder for those opportunities, though.
Richards is working from 8am-4.30pm daily as a teacher aide, fitting in workouts before and after — most days leaving home before 6am and getting home at 9pm.
It was work she hoped will show when the team tips off its season on June 29.
"I just want to get back into my rhythm," she said.
"See if I can play my true-self a bit better, rather than what I was doing in Aussie.
"When I first started out, I think I put a lot of pressure on myself to be performing.
"That’s what led me to not playing my best.
"I’m not 100% sure. I’m still trying to figure out how to be playing my best.
"It was a great learning experience for me."
