Lucas: Little Making His Own Name

By Adam Lucas

Every day that Nassir Little walks into the Smith Center, he's reminded of how far he's come.

Newly mounted outside the door to the basketball office is a replica of Roy Williams Court that includes the name of every Carolina basketball letterman.

"I saw Vince Carter, and I saw Michael Jordan, and I saw James Worthy…and then I saw me," Little said. "That was surreal. It's crazy to see my name listed anywhere close to those guys."

Now Little is intent on joining that trio in the record books, too. Most fans will know Little for his athleticism, which was on full display with a couple of smooth plays during the Late Night scrimmage. But he knows college basketball is too advanced to get by on raw talent alone.

"People get caught up in how athletic I am," he said. "But I think the best thing I do is scoring in multiple ways. Shooting is a crucial part of my game, and I practice it a lot."

Five a.m. workouts were a habit for Little in high school, and he regularly stays after practice to take a few more shots. When Hurricane Florence breezed through the Triangle last month and canceled classes, there was Little in the Smith Center, taking more jumpers.

His routine varies, but the minimum includes making 50 midrange jumpers from five different spots on the floor and making either 25 three-pointers from five different spots or 12 of 15 three-pointers from those same five spots. He finishes by sinking ten free throws in a row.

"That's what I feel like I have to do to separate myself and be prepared for the season," Little said. "Just because I'm getting closer to my dreams, that doesn't mean I can stop working."

Still, it hasn't been a completely smooth adjustment, and Little acknowledges his first couple months of college basketball have occasionally been a learning process. He admits he didn't hydrate well before one of Carolina's grueling preseason conditioning sessions and struggled to finish.

Even more frustratingly to the high-achieving freshman, he believes he was occasionally outsmarted on the court during summer pickup games. Perhaps that wasn't surprising considering he was facing players with a decade or more in the NBA, but Little has high standards.

"Raymond Felton killed me," Little said ruefully. "Pump fakes, ball fakes, hard screens, things like that. I am not used to being outsmarted on the court. He knew more about the game than me and he used it to his advantage. But he also told me if I will keep doing what I am doing with regard to work ethic then I can get there."

Little's timeline for getting there has been much discussed and will likely be a continuing topic of discussion over the next six months. Right now, he's not interested in hearing that chatter.

"I want to win a national championship," he said. "The players and coaches who have done it here have told me there's nothing like it. I could've gone anywhere and just put up numbers to get to the NBA. I came to Carolina because winning is first to me. I want to be a part of something bigger than myself and win at a very high level."

Players Mentioned

Nassir Little

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