Sammy Childs knew what he was getting into.
The junior guard transferred from perennial power Homewood-Flossmoor to Richards, a team that was 4-27 last season and has not had a winning season since 2021-2022.
“I wanted to come here to make the team better,” Childs said. “I want to see if we can make a deep playoff run and make it to state.”
The jury is out about making it to state, but he is he is helping to make the team better. The Bulldogs (6-2, 2-1) finished last week up with South Suburban crossover wins over Tinley Park (64-33) on Dec. 9 and Bremen (58-45) two days later in Midlothian.
Against Tinley Park, he had a triple-double with 11 points, 10 assists and 10 steals for the Bulldogs. He didn’t come up with those numbers against Bremen, but he scored nine first-quarter points including a 3-pointer at the buzzer to help give the Bulldogs an 18-8 lead.
He finished the night with 13 points, four assists, four rebounds and two steals as he chose to pass the ball more than shoot it in the final three quarters.
“I was trying to get my teammates involved so that we could try to get a big lead and make this a big win for the seniors,” he said.
Thirteen was the lucky number for Richards as Childs, Travon Gourdine and Jordan Shaw ed the Bulldogs with 13 points each.
Childs’ unselfishness was appreciated by coach Jamal Thompson.
“He had a hell of a game,” Thompson said of Childs. “He brings toughness and he’s one of my point guards who can control the game. And he’s good at picking and choosing his spots on the court.
“We have a group of guys who can score. Anybody can have a big day. The good thing about it is that our boys are not selfish. We are complete.”
They are hoping for a complete turnaround after last season, Thompson’s first.
“You know what? They didn’t know what to expect from me coming in,” Thompson said. “I came from Leo and St. Rita and I brought in my toughness. I said that we were going to defend and everything like that.
“This year, people knew what to expect. They worked on their game over the summer and they got better. The good thing about it now is that our practice is competitive. They are pushing each other in practice.”
They are pushing a few teams in games, too, with wins over St. Rita, Hancock, Johnson, Sandburg and the triumphs over Tinley Park and Bremen. A 69-40 loss to St. Laurence and a 63-55 setback to Lemont shows there is work to do, but Thompson likes the direction the team is going in.
“Nobody is giving us any type of respect and that’s the way we like it,” Thompson said. “We’re coming out and playing basketball the way basketball should be played.”