Wednesday, March 9, 2022
Littell dismissed after decade, what’s possible in a new era
Noah Weber OSU coach Jim Littell will not be returning to OSU next season, leaving OSU will an opportunity to hire a female coach to fill the vacancy.
Nineteen days ago, while Jim Littell reclined on the cushioned courtside chairs in Gallagher-Iba Arena after practice the question was asked. Will he be back? Littell was in the midst of his worst season as Oklahoma State’s women’s basketball coach; one that concluded with a regular season record of 8-19. He smiled and slowly nodded his head, not taking his eyes from the players shooting extra free throws or managers folding towels. “Oh yeah, I’m going to be here,” Littell said. “I’m going to be here.” Or not. Monday afternoon, OSU Athletic Director Chad Weiberg announced Littell’s firing. Littell has coached OSU since 2005 and owns a career record of 203-195, the second-most wins by a coach in program history, but his final game will be the one that concludes this season. He has coached OSU to eight winning seasons. Last season, the Cowgirls were picked eighth in the conference preseason poll and made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Littell was named 2021 Big 12 Coach of the Year. But this season has been an exponential free-fall from the 2020 glory that feels so long ago. The Cowgirls slogged through Big 12 play, winning three games and were swept by Oklaho-
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Ben Hutchens Staff Reporter
ma. It is not only this season that made many ready for a leadership change. The program is struggling in critical areas paramount for long term health. OSU doesn’t have a recruit signed in the 2022 class. Recruiting has not been a strong suit of the women’s basketball program during Littell’s tenure. In the last 10 recruiting classes, OSU landed only seven top-100 players. The highest ranked player in that span was Brittney Martin, the 19th ranked player in 2012. The next highest was Roshunda Johnson, the 49th ranked player in 2013. The Cowgirls have, at times, struggled to develop the high school talent they do acquire, instead relying on the transfer portal. Aside from guard Lauren Fields this year who joined the team as a freshman, the most recent “homegrown” player to lead OSU in points is Kaylee Jensen in 2016-17. Senior center Kassidy De Lapp was the 98th overall high school recruit and OSU’s highest ranked recruit in the 2018 class. She is averaging 4.2 points 5.1 rebounds in under 20 minutes per game this season. Rodrea Echols was the 80th ranked high school recruit and OSU’s highest in 2016. She played 32 games as a freshman but averaged only 2.9 points. The Cowgirls have struggled to retain their top on-court producers. In recent memory, guard Vivian Gray left OSU for Texas Tech after the 2019-20 season. Gray was a back-toback unanimous All-Big 12 selection. Point guard Ja’Mee Asberry led OSU in minutes, assists and 3-pointers last season. Like Gray, she transferred to a conference rival, Baylor. The two previously mentioned recruits both finished their careers away
from Stillwater. Johnson was named to ated 90 minutes south of Stillwater, in the 2013-14 Big 12 All-Freshman Team Norman. Longtime Oklahoma coach and transferred to Mississippi State for Sherri Coale retired last spring and the her sophomore season. Sooners brought in Echols transferred in Jennie Baranczyk 2017-18 to Trinity Valfrom Drake Uniley Community Colversity. Baranczyk lege after one year in helped inject new Stillwater in and later to energy into the New Mexico State. program and took In a press release OU from 12-12 in announcing Littell would Coale’s final season not return, Weiberg to 23-7 and a No. said the two “mutually 21 ranking. agreed it was time for a Weiberg was new direction. asked if what the OSU now has an Sooners did is a opportunity. It can add model for quickly an element to its staff turning around a Chad Weiberg of head coaches that is program. Athletic Director lacking. A woman in a “I don’t head coaching position. even know that Weiberg was asked I’ve paid that if that is something factoring into his much attention to that,” Weiberg said. “ hiring decision. I don’t have a timeline for a turnaround “I’m not in the business of tryor what a turnaround would look like. I ing to limit our pool,” Weiberg said. “I mean, obviously we want to be successwant to go out and find the best posful as soon as we can be successful. If sible person to be around our players that’s in one season or two seasons I’m and our student athletes. It’s such an not going to put a timeline on that.” important position in that regard so I For OSU women’s basketball, just want to find the best person that we there is no timeline, no guarantees of can bring in here to Stillwater.” whom will be hired and soon, no LitThere are examples in the Big tell. 12 of dynamic female coaches being But there is a mission. hired and instantly bringing energy to “I think the main thing is we a program. want to build the program the right Baylor hired Nicki Collen, forway,” Weiberg said. “We want the mally coach of the WNBA’s Atlanta program to be sustainably good and be Dream, to replace Kim Mulkey. In her competitive year in and year out and first year at Baylor this season, Collen kind of have those expectations to comcoached the Lady Bears to a 25-5 repete for championships like so many cord and won the Big 12 regular season of our programs do on the men’s and championship Sunday. women’s side.” Perhaps a situation more similar to the one Weiberg faces is one situsports.ed@ocolly.com
I want to go out and find the best possible person to be around our players and our student athletes.
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