Ithaca’s Little commits to Niagara County hoops

One of the top girls basketball players in Tompkins County is heading to Western New York to elevate academically and on the hardcourt.

On Mar. 6, Niagara County Community College women’s basketball head coach Nate Beutel announced the signing of Ithaca High School’s Mia Little. There were multiple factors that swayed Little to join the Thunderwolves.

“The coach [Beutel] definitely stood out to me,” Little said. “I just feel like he runs his program the way that I want to play, and so that stood out. It’s close to my mom’s school, so I’m familiar with the area.. And then I went on a visit. I just liked the campus and team, and so I think that’s why I chose that route.”

Little joins a program that has run riot throughout the junior collegiate scene. As of Mar. 20, the Thunderwolves are 28-3, winning the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region 3 Division II championship as well as the NJCAA Division II East B District title. They now add the Little Red’s floor general with the aim of continuing this season’s success.

“I’m hoping to bring leadership on and off the court to the team and running the team as the point guard,” Little said. “I want to help carry on the season that they’re having when I go and just try to create a new home for myself.”

That leadership has been consistently on display during her time with the Little Red girls basketball team. While they missed out on the postseason this season, Little was still the star of the show, being named to the All-Section IV Second Team by the Basketball Coaches Association of New York (BCANY). In fact, she was the only girls basketball player in Tompkins County to make an all-sectionals team. Little also helped the Little Red win the regional division title of the Josh Palmer Fund Clarion Classic, being named tournament MVP. But personal accolades don’t tell the whole story of what Little brought to the team.

“I definitely learned the past two years how to be a better leader, how to stay under control, and how to manage new, younger players in the speed that I play and help them better themselves,” Little said. “I definitely think that I can take that leadership role on to college with me.”

Not only did Little shine at Ithaca High, she also gained plenty of valuable experience at the AAU level, playing with BNY Select during eighth and ninth grade, then suited up for the New York Royals 17U team last year. But it was her time with BNY Select that really sparked her interest in pursuing college basketball.

“The coaches were really just all about getting the girls to the next level [with] everything they did with the training and the tournaments and just the connection they had with [other] coaches,” Little said. “So after joining that team, it kind of became clear to me that that’s what I wanted to do.”

Basketball has been a significant part of Little’s entire life. Her mother Samantha was a standout at Niagara University, becoming the program’s first-ever MAAC Player of the Year during her senior year. While her father Tim didn’t go to school for basketball—he ended up playing lacrosse at Ithaca College—he was the Little Red’s head coach during her freshman year and is currently the assistant coach on the boys basketball team. Then there are her two younger siblings: Luke, a junior on the boys team, and Maddie, a sophomore on the girls team. Being part of such a basketball-centric environment certainly has its benefits.

“It’s really nice,” Little said. “I can always go to the gym with my siblings, and then we can turn it into a family thing sometimes. We’ll all go to the gym together. It just makes the sport even more fun having all your family support and then also knowing that this is something they did, too.”

It’s also no surprise that Mia and Maddie have built a strong connection together on the court for the Little Red.

“This year was our second year playing together,” Little said. “We definitely grew from last year since I wasn’t really used to it. This year, it was easy to pass to her. I always knew where she was on the floor, and then she would help me on the defensive end. It was just really awesome getting to play with my sister for my last year.”

As Little prepares to venture to the same area where her mother made a name for herself, she’ll bring more than just leadership and talent to the Thunderwolves. Expect a competitive fire every time she hits the court, something that she believes she has the most of in her family.

“I feel like my siblings are more laid back, and my dad’s laid back,” Little said. “I just feel like I’m always ready for a competition with them.”