BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – Gardner-Webb tapped into its New York City pipeline once again on Wednesday, signing transfer forward Isaiah Richards.

Richards (Brooklyn, N.Y. / South Shore HS) joins the Runnin' Bulldogs after spending the past three seasons at the University of Louisiana.

The 6-foot-10, 230-pounder is the sixth Gardner-Webb signee from one of the five New York City boroughs – and the seventh from the metro area – since 2017. He will join New York natives Julien Soumaoro (Bronx, N.Y.) and Brendan Mykalcio (New City, N.Y.) on the 2023-2024 roster.

"Isaiah is a high energy athlete who impacts the game on both ends," said head coach Tim Craft. "We are very excited about his ability to immediately add to the depth and experience in our front court."

Richards played in 69 career games, with two starts, during his time with the Ragin' Cajuns. He logged 9.1 career minutes per game and shot a crisp 54.2 percent from the floor.

This past season he played in 32 games, made one start and helped Louisiana to a Sun Belt championship, 26 wins and an NCAA Tournament appearance. Richards came off the bench for the Ragin' Cajuns in a 58-55 loss to Tennessee in the NCAA Tournament.

Richards played one postgraduate season at Springfield Commonwealth (Mass.) Academy, where he averaged 12.5 points, 11.1 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game. His efforts helped SCA win 30 games and advance to the quarterfinals of the National Prep School Championship.

Richards was rated as the No. 5 overall prospect in Massachusetts and as the No. 24 overall prospect in New England during his year at Springfield Commonwealth. He chose Louisiana after considering offers from Georgia, VCU, Rhode Island, Nevada and UTEP.

Prior to his postgraduate season, Richards starred at South Shore (N.Y.) High in Brooklyn, leading his team to a pair of PSAL Class AA City Championships. He was rated as a four-star prospect by ESPN.com after supplying 12.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 4.0 blocked shots per game.

As a junior, Richards had 12 points and 13 rebounds in the Class AA City Championship game win over Cardozo at the Barclays Center.