Oklahoma State University Athletics
Andrea Riley ... A Hall of Famer Three Times Over
April 26, 2022 | Cowgirl Basketball
More than a decade after her decorated career as a Cowgirl came to a close, accolades continue to roll in for Andrea Riley. During the 2022 calendar year, the most explosive scorer in program history will have been inducted into three different halls of fame.
In January, Riley was added to the Dallas ISD Athletic Hall of Fame in a group which included LaMarcus Aldridge, Chris Bosh, Don January and Michael Johnson on the impressive list of inductees comprising the hall's fourth class.
Designed to recognize and honor individuals who have made significant contributions to the district's athletics programs, inductees must exemplify the highest standards of sportsmanship, ethical conduct, and moral character to be selected.
Earlier this spring, Riley's second induction in the Lone Star State came as a member of the most recent class honored by the Texas Black Sports Hall of Fame. With her induction, she found herself among sports royalty with names such as Darren Oliver, Kurt Thomas, Rob Evans, Ray Crockett, Darrell Green, Michael Irvin and Leroy Burrell also being ushered in during the organization's Silver Anniversary celebration.
For Riley, her affection for basketball and her path toward lofty achievements began at an early age.
"I started playing basketball when I was three years old. I always had a ball in my hand and I grew to love basketball. I always wanted to earn it, I didn't want somebody to just give it to me. I pushed myself to be the hardest worker and I pushed myself to be the leader," Riley said.
While starring at Lincoln High School in Dallas, Riley did just that, helping the Tigers to a 30-1 mark and the Class 4A state title in 2004. For her efforts she was named to the event's all-tournament team.
The following year, Riley led LHS to a 29-5 mark and a return trip to the state tournament after averaging 15.9 points, four assists and six steals per game. She garnered all-area and all-district honors along the way.
The 5-5 guard closed her prep career as an all-state selection and district MVP after averaging 17.8 points and 3.8 assists per game.
This fall, Riley will be one of five legendary figures enshrined in the OSU Athletics Hall of Honor, joining legendary softball coach Sandy Fischer, soccer All-American AD Franch, golf standout Lindy Miller and football's Rashaun Woods. An honor that will no doubt mean so much to somebody who embraced Stillwater as a second home.
"My Oklahoma State family, when you go to college and make a decision to go off and leave your parents, you want to go somewhere you feel like family and they are always with me no matter if they are with me or in Oklahoma. They believed in me before I set foot on campus and touched a basketball and that is a big thing for somebody to believe in you before you have scored a point," Riley said.
Peruse Riley's bio and it does not take long to discover her hall of fame credentials and see why she appears among the select group of distinguished Cowboys and Cowgirls.
One of the most prolific scorers in the history of women's college basketball, Andrea Riley helped engineer the turnaround of the women's program at OSU, leading to success not only during her career, but laying the foundation for success for years to come.
Her head coach, Kurt Budke, had lofty praise for the offensive juggernaut and her role in bringing the Cowgirls to national prominence.
"We were going to turn the program. We felt good about what we could do and when we could turn it. She helped us turn it quicker. She is a difference maker, she is a program changer and every once in a while, as coaches, we have to get lucky and find somebody like that," Budke said.
She helped flip the switch to the tune of the nation's largest turnaround her freshman season. Prior to her arrival, the Cowgirls went 6-22 and were winless in conference play. During her freshman campaign, Riley directed OSU to a 20-11 mark in 2006-07 and its first NCAA tournament berth in more than a decade.
The 2007-08 season saw Riley propel OSU to a 27-8 mark to match the school record for wins in a season. Just two years after an 0-16 record in league play, the fiery floor general helped deliver just the second NCAA Sweet 16 appearance in school history.
After ranking fifth in the country at 23.1 points per game, Riley would receive honorable mention WBCA All-America honors, making her just the second player in program history to do so.
As a junior, she led the Big 12 in scoring for the second year in a row at 23.0 points per outing, which also ranked fifth nationally. Riley also ranked in the top 10 in the country with her 6.0 assists per game.
During her final campaign, Riley was the nation's second-leading scorer, pouring in 26.7 points per game and was seventh nationally with her 6.5 assists per contest, capping her career as the Nancy Lieberman Award recipient as the nation's top point guard.
"Being second in the nation in scoring, I am really little and that was a big thing for people, asking how. The main reason was because I continued to work on my craft," Riley said. "I was so little that I had to figure out and adjust to ways to score. It was part of my game and it wasn't forced."
"Me being so small, shows girls that height doesn't matter. It shows that you played with heart more than my body. I am a firecracker and a competitor, but I worked hard for all of my accomplishments."
Riley's 909 points scored during her final season in Stillwater rank as the 19th-best tally in NCAA history
All told, Riley finished her career with 2,835 points, which still stands as the school's all-time mark and ranks 23rd in NCAA history.
Riley would go on to become the program's first-ever WNBA draft pick, being selected in the first round of the 2010 draft by the Los Angeles Sparks with the No. 8 pick. She would play three seasons in the league, seeing time with the Tulsa Shock and the Phoenix Mercury as well. Most importantly, earning a spot in the league fulfilled a childhood dream.
"Being recognized and getting your flowers is a big thing. I don't think little girls understand how to speak things into existence. I spoke it into existence at four years old watching a WNBA game in the living room with my mom. I have a passion for it and I just couldn't let that passion go," Riley said.
In January, Riley was added to the Dallas ISD Athletic Hall of Fame in a group which included LaMarcus Aldridge, Chris Bosh, Don January and Michael Johnson on the impressive list of inductees comprising the hall's fourth class.
Designed to recognize and honor individuals who have made significant contributions to the district's athletics programs, inductees must exemplify the highest standards of sportsmanship, ethical conduct, and moral character to be selected.
Earlier this spring, Riley's second induction in the Lone Star State came as a member of the most recent class honored by the Texas Black Sports Hall of Fame. With her induction, she found herself among sports royalty with names such as Darren Oliver, Kurt Thomas, Rob Evans, Ray Crockett, Darrell Green, Michael Irvin and Leroy Burrell also being ushered in during the organization's Silver Anniversary celebration.
For Riley, her affection for basketball and her path toward lofty achievements began at an early age.
"I started playing basketball when I was three years old. I always had a ball in my hand and I grew to love basketball. I always wanted to earn it, I didn't want somebody to just give it to me. I pushed myself to be the hardest worker and I pushed myself to be the leader," Riley said.
While starring at Lincoln High School in Dallas, Riley did just that, helping the Tigers to a 30-1 mark and the Class 4A state title in 2004. For her efforts she was named to the event's all-tournament team.
The following year, Riley led LHS to a 29-5 mark and a return trip to the state tournament after averaging 15.9 points, four assists and six steals per game. She garnered all-area and all-district honors along the way.
The 5-5 guard closed her prep career as an all-state selection and district MVP after averaging 17.8 points and 3.8 assists per game.
This fall, Riley will be one of five legendary figures enshrined in the OSU Athletics Hall of Honor, joining legendary softball coach Sandy Fischer, soccer All-American AD Franch, golf standout Lindy Miller and football's Rashaun Woods. An honor that will no doubt mean so much to somebody who embraced Stillwater as a second home.
"My Oklahoma State family, when you go to college and make a decision to go off and leave your parents, you want to go somewhere you feel like family and they are always with me no matter if they are with me or in Oklahoma. They believed in me before I set foot on campus and touched a basketball and that is a big thing for somebody to believe in you before you have scored a point," Riley said.
Peruse Riley's bio and it does not take long to discover her hall of fame credentials and see why she appears among the select group of distinguished Cowboys and Cowgirls.
One of the most prolific scorers in the history of women's college basketball, Andrea Riley helped engineer the turnaround of the women's program at OSU, leading to success not only during her career, but laying the foundation for success for years to come.
Her head coach, Kurt Budke, had lofty praise for the offensive juggernaut and her role in bringing the Cowgirls to national prominence.
"We were going to turn the program. We felt good about what we could do and when we could turn it. She helped us turn it quicker. She is a difference maker, she is a program changer and every once in a while, as coaches, we have to get lucky and find somebody like that," Budke said.
She helped flip the switch to the tune of the nation's largest turnaround her freshman season. Prior to her arrival, the Cowgirls went 6-22 and were winless in conference play. During her freshman campaign, Riley directed OSU to a 20-11 mark in 2006-07 and its first NCAA tournament berth in more than a decade.
The 2007-08 season saw Riley propel OSU to a 27-8 mark to match the school record for wins in a season. Just two years after an 0-16 record in league play, the fiery floor general helped deliver just the second NCAA Sweet 16 appearance in school history.
After ranking fifth in the country at 23.1 points per game, Riley would receive honorable mention WBCA All-America honors, making her just the second player in program history to do so.
As a junior, she led the Big 12 in scoring for the second year in a row at 23.0 points per outing, which also ranked fifth nationally. Riley also ranked in the top 10 in the country with her 6.0 assists per game.
During her final campaign, Riley was the nation's second-leading scorer, pouring in 26.7 points per game and was seventh nationally with her 6.5 assists per contest, capping her career as the Nancy Lieberman Award recipient as the nation's top point guard.
"Being second in the nation in scoring, I am really little and that was a big thing for people, asking how. The main reason was because I continued to work on my craft," Riley said. "I was so little that I had to figure out and adjust to ways to score. It was part of my game and it wasn't forced."
"Me being so small, shows girls that height doesn't matter. It shows that you played with heart more than my body. I am a firecracker and a competitor, but I worked hard for all of my accomplishments."
Riley's 909 points scored during her final season in Stillwater rank as the 19th-best tally in NCAA history
All told, Riley finished her career with 2,835 points, which still stands as the school's all-time mark and ranks 23rd in NCAA history.
Riley would go on to become the program's first-ever WNBA draft pick, being selected in the first round of the 2010 draft by the Los Angeles Sparks with the No. 8 pick. She would play three seasons in the league, seeing time with the Tulsa Shock and the Phoenix Mercury as well. Most importantly, earning a spot in the league fulfilled a childhood dream.
"Being recognized and getting your flowers is a big thing. I don't think little girls understand how to speak things into existence. I spoke it into existence at four years old watching a WNBA game in the living room with my mom. I have a passion for it and I just couldn't let that passion go," Riley said.
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