A high school basketball player in New Zealand once convinced Richard Vasey to step into a gym to talk with their coach. When Vasey walked through the doors, the coach handed him a clipboard and said, “I am so glad you’re here. They’re all yours.”
That unexpected moment launched Vasey’s coaching career. Now, 35 years later, Vasey has joined Point Loma Nazarene University’s women’s basketball staff as the assistant coach. His new job includes recruiting and scouting and supporting players’ growth on and off the court.
Vasey comes to PLNU with a wide range of experience in women’s basketball, including five years alongside head coach Carlotta Kloppenburg-Pruitt at Southern Oregon University, where they had a lot of success. Together, they reached the NAIA National Tournament every season, winning two Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) regular season championships and three CCC Tournament titles. He said the opportunity to coach at PLNU represents another chance to learn, serve players and help establish a new chapter for the program.
Growing up in Hanna, Wyoming, a small coal-mining town, Vasey experienced firsthand how sports can unite a community. He played football, basketball and track, but basketball became his passion. While he had hoped to continue playing in college, he had to adjust when that opportunity did not come.
“There was no internet back then. You were mailing letters to coaches. You were calling coaches on the phone,” Vasey said. “Coaches had to travel to see you, so they weren’t going to spend a lot of money unless you were really good. I wasn’t at that level where I was just going to be known.”
Years later, Vasey found the path that would define his career when he moved to New Zealand after his wife signed a professional basketball contract there. The son of the local family they lived with urged Vasey to help coach his high school basketball team. What began as a casual conversation led to the varsity coach handing Vasey a clipboard, and the team eventually reached a regional championship and qualified for the national tournament.
The experience also shaped how Vasey views opportunities. After returning to the United States, he and his wife followed the traditional path of finishing school, starting careers and raising a family. He said they sometimes reflect on whether they should have stayed overseas longer — a small regret that has influenced how he encourages his four daughters to pursue their ambitions.
“I’ve always supported them in their dreams,” Vasey said. “When this opportunity came up, they were like, ‘Absolutely, go live your dream.’”
Kloppenburg-Pruitt said Vasey’s character and perspective were central to her decision to bring him to PLNU. She said his experience raising his children, along with his coaching background, helps him understand how to support athletes beyond basketball.
“I just trust him with everything,” Kloppenburg-Pruitt said. “I trust him with our players, always doing the right thing. It doesn’t even matter about X’s and O’s at the end of the day, although he’s a great coach. It’s really about just having really good people around you.”
Vasey said his purpose as a coach has never been limited to the scoreboard. He wants to use basketball to help players become “strong, confident, successful young women,” whether that growth comes through basketball, academics or life experience.
“I want them to know that I care about them,” Vasey said. “That I want them to be successful.”
Hannah Golan, a fourth-year biology major and returning player, said Vasey’s background and approach have already made a difference.
“Coach Richard has so much knowledge about everything; there is always something new to learn from him,” Golan said. “I am super excited that I have the opportunity to keep picking his brain and learn from his experience this year.”
The Sea Lions’ theme this season is “trust.” Vasey said that trust involves believing in the coaches’ plan, relying on teammates and staying committed through the difficult parts of improvement.
“There’s going to be some growth here, and there’s going to be some kind of pain in that growth,” Vasey said. “But [they are] stepping into it. They’re committed to it.”
Vasey said the growing visibility of women’s basketball also matters. When asked about national conversations involving transgender athletes in women’s sports, he said he has not personally encountered the issue as a coach and did not offer a policy position. Instead, he pointed to the broader significance of women athletes having a greater platform in public discussions.
“It really speaks to the relevance of women’s sports and women’s basketball when there are these discussions,” Vasey said. “Regardless of the controversial subject, women have a voice now, and they have a voice in sports now when before they didn’t.”
For Vasey, that growth in visibility is part of what makes women’s basketball meaningful. At PLNU, his focus is straightforward: help players improve, support them as people and make the most of the opportunity in front of him.
“I’m big on ‘Be where your feet are,’” Vasey said. “Right now, I’m here.”
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Camden Painton