Checotah graduate and Division 1 basketball standout Olivia Clayton has been hired as the new Checotah Lady Wildcats’ assistant basketball coach. Clayton received a scholarship from the University of Tulsa where she played until she went into the portal and was picked-up by Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.

Clayton’s stats are as follows:

2023-24: – ninth in the OVC with 25 blocks, averaging 0.9 per contest – finished the season with 154 points, 102 rebounds, 45 assists, and 21 steals across 28 games played – shot 43.9 percent (54123) from the field, good for second on the team – tied a career-high 11 points four times – collected a season-best seven rebounds on three occasions – notched six blocks vs. Harris-Stowe (Dec. 20)

2022-23: – made appearances in 29 games while starting in 20 in her first season at SIUE – averaged 5.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.0 assist per contest – ranked second on the Cougars in blocks per game (0.6) while stacking up 13th in the OVC – proved to be strong on the offensive glass, averaging 1.72 offensive rebounds per game, good for 12th in the conference – scored a career-high 10 points at Little Rock (2/4) – contributed a career-best nine rebounds vs. Morehead State (1/19) – tallied four blocks at UT Martin (2/16)

Previous: – competed last season at Tulsa where she played 23 games for the Hurricane – career high was 10 points against Wichita State – four-year letter winner at Checotah High School, where she averaged 11.8 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 2.1 blocks and 0.9 steals her senior season – posted a team-leading 12.9 points per game as a junior – named to the All-Region team by the Oklahoma Girls Basketball Coaches Association (OGBCA) – earned recognition as a VYPE Top 100 and the Mc-Intosh Democrat Defensive Player of the Year