Five RISD seniors signed letters of intent to continue their academic and athletic careers in college, including two highly recruited Richardson High School basketball players.
Levi Sandidge of RHS signed a letter of intent to swim at the University of Kentucky next year. Alaina Armstrong, another member of the RHS Class of 2022, signed a letter of intent to play volleyball at Alcorn State. Pearce senior Peyton Hunt signed a letter of intent to play soccer at Purdue University.
The Richardson High School boys basketball team is poised to make another run at a state championship this year following a state semifinal loss a season ago. RHS is the seventh-ranked team in the country, according to MaxPreps.
The Eagles are led by seniors Cason Wallace and Rylan Griffen. Wallace is the area’s No. 1 recruit and one of the top 10 ranked seniors in the nation. He has chosen to attend the University of Kentucky next year. Griffen is the No. 5 recruit in the DFW area and plans to attend the University of Alabama.
“These are two of the hardest working student-athletes I’ve ever been around,” RHS Head Coach Kevin Lawson said. “I’ve truly been blessed to have watched them grow as athletes and men since they were in seventh grade. The reason they’ve been so heavily recruited by the most successful Division I programs is because they work so hard on the court and off. They work at being the best teammate to all our players. I tell people all the time that I’d love Cason even if he was bad at basketball. He hugs my wife and high-fives my sons every time he sees them.”
Wallace attended Hamilton Park Pacesetter Magnet while Griffen went to Springridge Elementary. They both went to Westwood Junior High before attending RHS. Griffen’s mom, Talandra, is an assistant principal at Memorial Park Academy and his father, Dr. Ron Griffen, was the principal at Berkner from 2006 to 2015.
“I think Rylan fell in love with RHS when he was younger and his mom was working here,” Coach Lawson said. “He is a basketball junkie who makes time for every kid who wants an autograph. He just has a sense of who he is as a player and man, and I’ve been blessed to watch his hard work pay off.”
Congratulations to all the players, coaches, parents, sponsors and fans!
RISD has produced some top-notch athletic talent the past few years. Cason Wallace’s older brother, Keaton, graduated from RHS in 2017 before going down to UT-San Antonio where he became a four-time All Conference USA selection and UTSA’s second all-time leading scorer with 2,080 points. Keaton now plays in the NBA’s G League.
Drew Timme, a 2019 Pearce graduate, is a preseason All American with the No. 1 ranked Gonzaga basketball team. Timme, who will be a junior this season, helped the Bulldogs reach the national championship game in 2021, when he won the Karl Malone Award for best collegiate power forward.
Corey Coleman went to Baylor University after graduating from Pearce in 2012. As a junior, Coleman was a consensus All American and won the Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s best wide receiver before being drafted in the first round of the NFL draft. #RISDGreatness
