Littell and OSU to Part Ways

Oklahoma State and women’s basketball coach Jim Littell have mutually agreed to part ways after this season, the school announced Monday afternoon.
Littell enters the Big 12 Tournament with a 203-139 career record at OSU.
Littell, who joined the program as associate head coach in 2005, took over as head coach after the plane crash that killed four members of the OSU program — including head coach Kurt Budke and assistant coach Miranda Serna on Nov. 17, 2011.

“I want to thank Coach Littell for everything he has done for our program over the past 17 years, first as associate head coach and these past 11 seasons as our head coach,” OSU athletic director Chad Weiberg in a release. “We are greatly appreciative of the leadership and direction he has provided over the years, including shepherding our program through the most difficult circumstances.

“However, after my discussions with Coach over the past two days, he and I have mutually agreed that it is time for a new direction.”
The Cowgirls (8-19, 3-15 Big 12) face Texas Tech at 5:30 p.m. Thursday in the Big 12 Tournament opener in Kansas City, Mo.

Prior to his move to the Division I level, Littell constructed a hall of fame career during his 14-year tenure at Seward County (Kan.) Community College,

A 2009 inductee into the National Junior College Athletic Association Hall of Fame, Littell compiled an eye-popping set of numbers at his former post as the Lady Saints won 87 percent of their games, tallying a 418-61 ledger and producing nine Jayhawk West Conference titles under his guidance.

A nine-time conference coach of the year, Littell was named the WBCA National Coach of the Year in 2001 and was selected as the top coach in the region on four occasions, earning the distinction in 1999, 2002, 2004 and 2005.

Littell led Seward County to its first Region VI title in 1999 and followed up with regional titles in 2002, 2004 and 2005. In both 2000 and 2001, Littell led the Lady Saints to a No. 1 ranking in the final NJCAA poll and a combined record of 32-0 against conference opponents. His 2002 squad produced three All-Americans, a perfect 38-0 mark and the school’s first-ever national championship in any sport. He was named the NJCAA National Tournament Coach of the Year that same season. The 2001-02 season capped a three-year run by the Lady Saints that produced 104 wins against just two losses.

Under his watch, the Lady Saints recorded seven 30-win seasons. After finishing with a 14-16 record during his first season, Littell’s squads never produced less than 25 wins in a season and averaged nearly 32 wins per year against less than four losses over the course of his final 13 seasons.

The most impressive number of all may have come in the form of Seward County’s home record in his 14 seasons. From 1995-2004, the Lady Saints did not lose a home game, posting a 135-game winning streak inside the SCCC Activities Center to set the NJCAA national record. During the course of his final 13 seasons, Littell’s squads won 99 percent of their home contests, producing an astounding record of 189-2.

All told, his squad’s produced 11 All-Americans and five Region VI Most Valuable Players. Nine times, one of Littell’s players was tabbed as the Jayhawk West Conference Most Valuable Player, while four players from Seward County earned the league’s freshman of the year honor under his direction.