LSU assistant coach Keith Richard is returning to his alma mater.Richard has accepted the head coaching position at Louisiana-Monroe, LSU coach Trent Johnson confirmed on Thursday.”Obviously, I’m excited for Keith,” Johnson said. “He was very instrumental in establishing the base of this program.”Richard served on Johnson’s staff the past two seasons after coaching at Louisiana Tech from 1999-2007. Before his time at Louisiana Tech, Richard spent five years at ULM as an assistant.Richard graduated from ULM with a bachelor’s degree in general business in 1982. He earned a master’s from the university in guidance and counseling in 1986.Richard, a Baton Rouge native, played for ULM from 1978-82 and helped the Warhawks to their first-ever NCAA tournament appearance.”I would like to thank LSU and especially Coach Trent Johnson for the opportunity to be a part of the basketball program,” Richard said in a press release. “With the recruits that Coach Johnson and the staff have brought in for this coming year, fans will see the program begin to sustain itself and grow in success as the years go on. I wish LSU nothing but the best in the future and I am excited about this new challenge in my career of returning to my alma mater as head coach.”____Contact Chris Branch at [email protected]