The Oregon women’s basketball team has seen a significant improvement from last year, when it finished the season 11-21 (2-16 Pac 12) and did not win a game beyond mid-January. Now, the Ducks sit at 19-10 (10-8 Big Ten) and are on track to make an appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Arguably the biggest factor in this season’s turnaround has been the presence of graduate guard Peyton Scott.
Oregon acquired Scott from the transfer portal ahead of last season after she earned her bachelor’s degree from Miami University of Ohio, but she tore her ACL in the season opener and did not return. This season, Scott averaged 9.8 points-per-game in the regular season with a shooting percentage of .403 and .333 from beyond the arc with the Ducks finishing 15-3 at home.
“There’s nothing like playing here at MKA,” Scott said. “I mean, you can feel it, you know, you can feel when we start to go on a run and the crowd gets involved and the bench gets hyped. You know, I’m a pretty passionate player so I’m right there with them. So you definitely feel the energy shift.”
Scott has not had an injury-free season this year either. She suffered another knee injury during Oregon’s New Year’s Eve win over Northwestern. Fortunately, this injury was much smaller and Scott was able to return to the court less than a month later.
However, a couple weeks after returning, she suffered a leg injury. This was also a minor injury that only caused Scott to miss one game, but head coach Kelly Graves believes she is still playing through some pain.
“That’s Peyton Scott for you,” Graves said. “That’s who she is. She’s just tough. She wants to play. She wants to be out there. We weren’t making that up. She is hurt. It’s one of those situations at the end of the year that you see all the time, ‘Oh, she played on a torn MCL’ or whatever the case may be, on a broken ankle or whatever.’”
In addition to her coaches, Scott has been an inspiration to her teammates as well as she battles her injuries and still spends quality time on the court.
“Obviously, Scotty’s just an inspiration,” Ari Long said. “It’s just a testament to her toughness and her want to be on the floor for us, for her teammates. Obviously, she’s one of the best leaders I’ve seen in the game and I’m just grateful to play under her.”
Scott has not shown any lacking in her performance these past couple months since these injuries occurred and she’s committed to keeping her foot on the gas pedal for her team.
“It’s a huge blessing,” Scott said. “When you go through those injuries and endure some hardship, you just continue to grow and understand that it can be taken away from you any day, so just being grateful, being present. I’m truly grateful to be on this team with these girls, you know, I love them and know that the end is coming, it is near, but you know, just continuing to play for them.”
The Ducks are fully confident that under Peyton Scott’s leadership, they will do well in March Madness.
