The UNC women’s basketball program got some unfortunate news Wednesday, as head coach Courtney Banghart revealed the NCAA and Ivy League had denied starting point guard Carlie Littlefield’s waiver request (along with those of other Ivy League transfers) for an extra season of eligibility. Because of the decision, Littlefield’s college career is over. She spent three seasons at Princeton before playing for Carolina this past season.

The Ivy League did not compete in Division I athletics during the 2020-21 season due to the pandemic. Littlefield stayed at Princeton that season, and thus did not play competitive basketball for a full year. She and other student-athletes who transferred away from the Ivy League after the lost season still contended they deserved the extra “COVID year” granted to all student-athletes who did play during that season. Banghart, who coached Littlefield at Princeton for two seasons and is an alumna of Dartmouth, seemed confident the waiver request would be granted.

When it wasn’t, she expressed her frustration in several posts on Twitter.

ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas shared Banghart’s bewilderment at the decision, saying on Twitter, “Can anyone provide a reasonable explanation for the NCAA denying Ivy athletes this? This makes no sense.”

In her lone season in Chapel Hill, Littlefield averaged 8.8 points per game while starting all 32 contests at point guard. A steady ball-handling presence, Littlefield posted career lows in turnovers per game (1.8) and fouls per game (1.4). Her departure means Carolina will return only four of its five starters from this year’s Sweet 16 team. Candidates to start next season in the point guard role include rising junior Kennedy Todd-Williams, who started at wing this past season, redshirt freshman Kayla McPherson, who is coming off a knee injury, and incoming freshman Paulina Paris.

 

Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications/Jerome M. Ibrahim

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