Basketball & Other Sports

http://oklahoma.247sports.com/Article/Wyatt-aways-wanted-to-be-a-Sooner-81720

(Copyright OUInsider and James Hale)

DERICA WYATT, SG, 5’10, BRENTWOOD, TENNESSEE:

It is not often that one of the top players in the state of Tennessee grows up wanting to play for the Oklahoma Sooners and not the Lady Vols, but that is exactly the case with two-time winner of the prestigious Tennessee Miss Basketball Award Derica Wyatt.

“My dad’s family is from Oklahoma and my dad went to Oklahoma State actually,” said Wyatt. “I have been an OU fan since I was young and my older brother Devin will be a junior at Oklahoma and he is a manager on the women’s team. I am very close to him so he had a lot to do with it.

“When we took him to OU his freshman year I took a visit at OU to meet the coaches and meet the players and that was where I first met them. Ever since then they have been following me and OU has always been my dream school since I was ten years old. They called yesterday and they offered and I was all in.

“When Coach Coale offered me a scholarship it was the best feeling that I have ever had in my life. It is like all my hard work has paid off. I went to their camp, not this summer, but last summer. I couldn’t go this summer because we had our team camp with my school team. It wasn’t a total surprise that they offered me because Coach Coale has been to my games since last summer, and it kind of got around that she was going to offer. So I had heard that and I was kind of expecting that and kind of not, but felt that she would.

The phone call from Coach Coale was music to her ears.

“When Coach Coale first called she was talking about how much she loved my game,” said Wyatt. “She said he loved my shot making ability, my toughness and how I played the game. She wrapped it up by saying that she would love to have me as part of the family. That is all it took and now I am an Oklahoma Sooner.”

Wyatt broke into the starting line-up at Brentwood in the eighth grade and she has played both the shooting guard and point guard position and she will be a combo guard at OU. This past season Wyatt had a great year averaging 18.5 points, five rebounds, 3.6 assist and 3.2 steals a game.

“I can do just about anything on the court,” said Wyatt. “I have played the point, shooting guard, forward and I have also played in the post. I can do just about anything on the court but ‘3’-pointing shooting is my specialty. However, I can create my own shot and put it on the floor, and I can definitely do that too. I am not just a shooter, I am a complete basketball player. I am always guarding their shooting guard or point guard and I take pride in my defense.

Wyatt is a winner too as she led Brentwood to the state title as a sophomore and the state runner-up last season and in both years was named the top player in the state. Women’s basketball is huge in Tennessee, but Wyatt has always loved how OU has played the game.

“I really can’t tell you exactly why I have always loved Oklahoma,” said Wyatt. “I really can’t just pinpoint one thing, but they have always been my favorite and the team I rooted for in college.

Wyatt also considered Ole Miss, Wake Forrest, Tennessee-Chattanooga and Richmond and she is on pace to qualify.