Rickards and Re reflect on the past and look toward the future

On Feb. 22, a little past past 8 p.m., with 2:43 left in a basketball game at the Milford Central Academy gym and Cape trailing Smyrna 61-34 for the Northern Division championship, a wheel came off the Cape train that had rolled to an 18-2 record with 14 straight wins and the No. 1 seed in the DIAA state tournament.

“I took Randy [Rickards] off the court mostly to protect him, never realizing the extent of the problem with the crowd behind our bench,” said coach Steve Re. “I looked Randy squarely in the eyes and said, ‘Let’s get you off the floor, and just regroup and get ready for the playoffs.’”

A punch was thrown. Rickards was involved, which provoked half the crowd to become interactive, from peacemakers to throwing haymakers. Videographers with cellphones went real-time “post and roast.” An ugly game dissolved into an uglier aftermath.

Re lay on top of his senior star – they were face to face. Re and Rickards got up. There was a moment of calm before Randy did a fade and fly, breaking free and sprinting straight into the statewide “no he didn’t” zone, like it was a kickoff after a touchdown.

“This wasn’t a player going into the stands; this was about people flooding the court. Let’s be clear about that,” Re said.  

“The kick” was captured by a cellphone. It was aimed straight at the head of a young man down and secured by police. It looked really bad, but did no physical damage.

The next morning at Cape, Rickards was suspended from school for five days, and he was also arrested. He was gone from the postseason; Cape lost to Glasgow in the first round 52-46 just days later.

Stories were written and statements crafted and released. Sports, school and society pundits weighed in like Mack trucks of righteousness on a “scales are open” highway to the danger zone of second-guessers.

The one voice not heard belonged to Randy Rickards. He bore the consequences to the elusive truth.

Now, a look back to begin the story, to catch up with the present and allow Randy to be the active voice in his own narrative. He is the author of his life’s story, to a future of great promise. He will create the next chapters, beginning with a basketball scholarship to Baltimore City Community College, where he will take classes this summer. Rickards passed the NCAA Clearinghouse criteria. He is an academic qualifier, good to go if a Division I school comes calling.

“I didn’t look at social media. I know what happened,” Rickards said June 12 in a Cape conference room where Re also had a seat at the table. “I already lived it once; I don’t need to go through it again. I tried to avoid contact with anybody who wasn’t immediate family or coaches. There were a lot of people who did not try to de-escalate the situation, and those people I’ve shied away from.”

Rickards talked about displaying his emotions on the court. “My facial expressions and the way I’m feeling are two different things. People think they know what’s going on, but really they have no clue.”

Rickards graduated from Cape without discipline referrals, without conflicts with other students. He arrived at school on time, did his classwork and was well-liked by teachers and classmates. When a school review team met after the school suspension, every teacher on Rickards’ schedule spoke on his behalf.

“To know all those people believed in me is good for me,” Rickards said on reflection. “I appreciate having the right coach. I know he’s going to help me and that he’s got my back.”

Re said, “We got stormed at that game. I had other kids who got punched and hit, and I have a responsibility to all of them to make sure later [that] I talk to each one and make sure they are OK. It’s amazing that no one else on the floor was disciplined in any form or fashion, absolutely no one.

“Our team chemistry was at an all-time high. You don’t have the year we had and win so many games without guys getting along, and in the aftermath, when you find out a big piece of your team is no longer available, it’s hard to find the right response to that situation,” Re said.

“I’ve been outspoken since I’ve come to Cape about the things fans say to high school kids, and that it’s just getting worse,” Re said. “The lack of monitoring spectator behavior is unbelievable, and some people just need to be removed. Try yelling at a player during a field hockey game. The game would be stopped, and the spectator would be gone. It’s not acceptable to tolerate that at basketball games. What message are we sending?”

“High school basketball is different. It’s about 10 minutes from everyone’s house,” said Rickards. “It’s Friday night. It’s $5 to get in the game. Anybody can come. Everyone knows everybody. In the gym, the same guys sit on the front; everybody else sits behind them. All my uncles sit on the front row.”

Re added, “Ain’t none of them dropped you off for workouts yet. You want to trash a kid on a Friday night and tell him everything he’s doing wrong, but what are you doing to help on a day-to-day basis?”

Terry Maczko is the head men’s basketball coach at Baltimore City Community College, entering his 12th season. The Panthers play in the 15-team Maryland Junior College Conference and have a national Division I junior college profile. Maczko’s wife, Martha, is a teacher in Hartford County, and they have three children.

“I’m getting ready to trust another person with my life to help me get an education,” Rickards said. “After a couple conversations, I’m confident that we can get it done, and he can help me out.”

Rickards projects as a two- to three-man on a Panthers team that has several 6-foot-8 and 6-foot-7 players, while Rickards plays at 6-foot-5 and 195 pounds.

“I play facing the basket, and I can handle the ball, so I feel confident I’ll be OK,” he said.

The page is turned to the next chapter with Rickards as the author of his own story. He has faced more than most – stared it down – and he has handled it. Cape’s all-time dunk machine has demonstrated serious upside and now journeys on, ready to meet the next challenge in his young life.

Editor’s note: Charges against Rickards resulting from the incident at Milford High School are pending in Kent County Family Court, where he is scheduled to appear Monday, June 25. He was charged with third-degree assault and disorderly conduct by Milford Police.