By Ken Lay

When Brent Richey signed a National Letter of Intent to play baseball at Chattanooga State Community College, he became the first student-athlete from Knoxville Christian School to receive an athletic scholarship.

“This is just absolutely amazing,” said Richey, who plays both basketball and baseball for the Knights. “It’s awesome to be a part of a milestone like this and prepare the younger kids for the future.

It was certainly a big day for Richey and his family but KCS athletic director and boys basketball coach Randy Evans said that Richey’s signing ceremony was a monumental for the entire school and its student body.

“This is a big day for our school,” Evans told the students and faculty who witnessed Richey’s ceremony Thursday afternoon in the Knoxville Christian Gymnasium. “This shows you that somebody from little Knoxville Christian School can go somewhere.

“I wanted all of you [students] to see this.”

Richey plays for KCS’s boys basketball team, which is in the midst of a successful season and Evans was pleased to see his player get a chance to continue an athletic career on the diamond.

“We’re excited today and we hope that Brent will be the first of many [Knights to receive an athletic scholarship.],” Evans said. “We know that he will be the first of many.”

While in Chattanooga, Richey will not only look to excel in baseball, he’ll also carry a heavy academic load as he’ll major in civil engineering.

“I liked the campus and I liked the coaching staff,” Richey said. “But the biggest thing that appealed to me was that the school had a civil engineering program.

“Other schools just had a general engineering program. They didn’t have a civil engineering program.”

Knoxville Christian baseball coach Patrick Wade said that the Tigers are getting a top baseball player.

“They’re getting a good baseball player and a great kid,” Wade said. “He’s using baseball as a life lesson and he’ll be an asset to the community.”