Lyndra Littles is the anti-gym rat.
The Virginia sophomore forward didn’t begin to play basketball until she was 12 or 13 years old. She didn’t play for an AAU team during high school. She does not obsess over the sport that dominates her life. But she’s the Cavaliers’ leading scorer (15.9 points per game) and rebounder (8.9 per game) as they prepare to face No. 3 Maryland tonight at Comcast Center.
“As fun as it is and as much as I love to play, it’s just like a job,” Littles said. “You clock in, you clock out.”
A Southeast Washington native, Littles played in high school for Archbishop Carroll in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference, the area’s premier league. During the offseason, she actually took off.
“There were times during the spring and during the fall, she would do her workouts with the team, and then we wouldn’t see her. She’d be off doing her own thing,” said Earl Screen, Littles’s former assistant coach at Carroll.
Under Screen, who retired from coaching this season, and head coach Clinton Perrow, who now guides Carroll’s boys team, Littles played summer league but hardly ever went on the road for college showcase tournaments.
“I wanted not only to do it my own way, but sometimes I think you should also take a step back and take a break from things so you don’t get burned out,” said Littles.
She was overshadowed locally by national standouts like Marissa Coleman (Maryland) at St. John’s and Wanisha Smith (Duke) at Riverdale Baptist. But having never sought that kind of attention, she was happy to fly under the radar and land in Charlottesville.
“I would say that from what Lyndra really wanted out of her college experience, I think she was able to market herself for that,” said Screen.
Littles is an atypical athlete – she’ll take in a game here or there but prefers not to watch basketball. Now that she’s in college, she’s also a consummate professional, averaging six more points and nearly three more rebounds per game this season thanks to a dedicated offseason.
“When I’m doing it, I’m doing it, and when I’m not doing it, I try to get away from it because when you come back, it keeps it fresh and new,” said Littles. “Then it doesn’t feel so much like a job.”
Virginia (12-5, 2-1 ACC) at No. 3 Maryland (18-1, 2-1)
» When: Tonight, 7
» Where: Comcast Center
» TV: Fox SportsNet South, Comcast SportsNet
