Keanna Richards

The Flame: The Rise of Keanna Richards

Part Portuguese, part Jamaican, all heart — Keanna plays with gratitude, grit, and the quiet fire of someone who knows exactly who she is.

There’s a kind of player whose energy can light up an entire gym — not just with buckets or blocks, but with presence. Keanna Richards is one of those players. She grew up in Red Deer, in a multicultural Portuguese-Jamaican household, where rhythm, food, and family all came with equal intensity. “As a kid, I was always on the go,” she says. “I tried everything — but basketball was different.”

By Grade 7, that difference turned into obsession. Early-morning shots. Late-night practices. No one had to tell her to work — she just wanted to. Out of all the sports she tried, basketball was the one that stuck, the one that clicked, the one that kept calling her back.

The path since then hasn’t been smooth — and that’s kind of the point. “I’ve been stretched and tested in every way imaginable,” she says. “Basketball has helped me grow as a person and figure out who I am.” It’s been her outlet, her mirror, and her fuel — a place where she’s learned discipline, emotional control, and how to turn struggle into strength.

When she talks about motivation, it’s always plural. “My family and loved ones keep me going,” she says. “Everything I do is for them — and for little Keanna.” She pauses, then adds: “And for every young girl who needs to see that she’s capable of anything.”

Her goal this year is simple but bold: a CCAA Championship ring. Not as a dream, but as a mission.

And when she looks beyond basketball, her ambitions are less about legacy and more about impact. “At the end of my career,” she says, “I hope to be remembered as a flame — a source of light, happiness, and laughter. Someone who gave everything, every time, and moved with gratitude and confidence.”

Her biggest inspiration isn’t an athlete or celebrity — it’s her mom. “She’s my rock,” Keanna says. “She’s done everything for me and my siblings. Any strength or resilience I have comes from her.”

That’s the thing about Keanna Richards — she doesn’t play to prove something. She plays to reflect something: her roots, her gratitude, and the kind of joy that burns steady, bright, and impossible to ignore.