Peyton Little, Big Impact

Growing up, OU guard Peyton Little was no stranger to the game of basketball. Her dad is former Texas Tech basketball star, Richard Little, who was named to the Texas Tech Athletics Hall of Fame in 2011. Her uncle, David Little, played basketball for the Sooners from 1978-1983, and her uncle Mike played at Baylor in 1979 and 1980.

Although her basketball lineage was strong, the Abilene, Texas, native said she was never forced into playing the game her family loved.

david little

“My family wanted to me to try everything when I was growing up. I did tennis. I did golf. I tried all different kinds of sports, so they never pressured me into a certain one,” Little said. “They wanted me to be happy and do what I wanted to do.”

But even though she experimented with different sports, basketball was the game that stuck. Little played at Wylie High School in Abilene, Texas, where she was named to the 2012 PARADE All-America Team and the 2012 McDonald's All-America Team. She was a three-time TGCA All-State athlete and was rated the No. 8 guard in the country by ESPN HoopGurlz.

Little's accolades gained attention from numerous Division I schools, and her recruiting journey was in full swing. She verbally committed to the University of Texas when she was only 16, but quickly reopened her commitment to consider different schools.

“I was a little different than most in the recruiting process because I had committed early,” Little said. “I opened my commitment back up and came and looked at some schools, and OU was one of them. When I came on my visit here I absolutely loved it. It was just great, and I thought I was going to come here. I was a young kid and I just made the wrong decisions and didn't follow my heart. I just listened to what other people told me.”

Little signed her NLI to play her freshman year for Texas A&M. She played in all 35 games for the Aggies, averaging 4.5 points per game and 15 minutes per contest. Even though she was successful in her freshman year, her heart was still 356 miles away in Norman.

OU guard Nicole Kornet and Little played on the same AAU summer team and became friends throughout their high school careers. Kornet recalls long talks with Little during their college freshman seasons.

“I remember she talked to me all the time while she was at A&M, and she was so unhappy and wanted to get out,” Kornet said. “I was always like, 'Well, you know there's another school over here across the river!' She was jealous of our little family connection we had here at OU.”

little kornett

The duo's conversations sparked interest, and Little knew exactly who she needed to call.

“I still remember my phone call with Coach (Sherri) Coale when she told me they would love to have me here, and I was just ecstatic. I absolutely love where I am now.”

Little transferred to the University of Oklahoma just before her sophomore season and was forced to sit out a year due to NCAA transfer rules. Like any athlete, Little wanted to help her team on the floor, but she learned there was more to the game of basketball than just her physical ability.

“You kind of learn the game from a different perspective,” Little said. “You can't help physically so I learned to help just with my voice and tell my teammates what I thought they could do differently on the court or be a voice in the locker room. I tried to help my game individually and did a lot of work on the side with JR (Assistant Coach Jan Ross). Even sitting out, I wouldn't want to be anywhere other than here at OU.”

Kornet echoed Little and said she has flourished as a player during her time at Oklahoma.

little kornett “Peyton has gained tremendous strides from being at Texas A&M,” Kornet said. “I feel like being in that environment kind of held her captive, and here she has just bloomed and been the player that she always has been. It's just fun to get back in the swing of things and be back with one of my best friends.”

Through just 26 games for the Sooners, Little's presence has been felt. She has played in all 26 games and started 24 of them. She is averaging 13.4 points per game – top on the squad - and has drained an impressive 45 3-pointers. The Sooners are 11-4 in conference play. The Sooners are thriving, and Little knows she is finally right where she belongs.

“Every time I run down the tunnel with an Oklahoma jersey on, it just doesn't get any better,” Little said. “I love stepping out on the court and playing with these girls. They're like my sisters and I love going to war with them. Playing for Coach Coale is amazing. She's such a motivator. We had a little rough spot we went through early in the season, but all teams do that and we've grown from that, and we've really gotten going in conference play.”