great read about how all this happened. lol at duke slowplaying him and him kicking them to the curb. he's gonna destroy them when we play.
also shout out to the unc family paying off yet again. lebo hooking us up with the inside tip
also shout out to the unc family paying off yet again. lebo hooking us up with the inside tip
Garrison Brooks, Cameron Johnson and Nassir Little.
Roy Williams and his assistant coaches have proven their mettle on the recruiting trail in securing three of their last four verbal commitments. These commitments required focus, persistence, and patience.
Hubert Davis helped Williams close on Brooks after his sudden commitment to, and decommitment a few months later from, Mississippi State. Brad Frederick and Williams navigated NCAA and ACC rules, and legal processes and protocols, before landing Johnson, an intra-conference transfer from Pittsburgh with two years of eligibility remaining.
This week Robinson and Williams celebrated the Tar Heel commitment of Little, a marquee recruiting victory, which followed one of the wilder recruitments that one can remember the UNC staff winning since Williams returned to Chapel Hill.
So, let’s go back to the beginning.
A Tip from a Tar Heel
Last fall, East Carolina coach Jeff Lebo spotted a player he believed could change the Pirates' program.
So, he traveled to Orlando (Fla.) Christian Prep to watch 2018 point guard Ronaldo "Rondo" Segu, who has since committed to Buffalo, in an open gym.
While there, he noticed another player dominating the session. Physically imposing at 6-7, with a non-stop motor and a burgeoning perimeter game, Lebo saw someone who he thought could play at the highest levels of college basketball.
After learning Little wouldn't have any interest in East Carolina, Lebo asked about North Carolina, where Lebo starred under Dean Smith three decades ago. The answer was ‘Yes,' and on the way back to Greenville, N.C. Lebo phoned UNC assistant Hubert Davis.
Davis passed the info on to fellow assistant Steve Robinson, who contacted Brad Augustine, former program director for Little's AAU team 1FamilyHoops.
Several months went by - as UNC eventually won the ACC regular-season championship, and then beat Gonzaga to win the national championship - without any contact between Little and UNC.
Then, unannounced, Robinson showed up at one of Little’s AAU games during the second live period in April. Twenty-four hours later, Williams, fresh off a flight from Indianapolis, arrived in Atlanta to watch Little’s 8 a.m. game.
In his first game in front of Williams, Little posted 22 points (9-16 FG, 2-3 3pt), 13 rebounds and five blocks. From then on, he became a priority for UNC.
“UNC just did a very good job of presenting their legacy, which kind of speaks for itself,” Nassir's father, Harold Little, explained. “Then they answered the hard questions that we had. The other thing they did well, they presented how Nassir fits with what they want to do. From a basketball perspective, you want to know that your kid has the opportunity to play. Not necessarily start, but at least get to play. They showed that. I’m sure you’re aware of this, but they were very transparent with their recruiting. Everyone they were recruiting they were upfront about it. What they’ve said in regards to how they feel about Nassir resonated. Not only did they want him, but they showed and said that they needed him.”
Lifelong Fan
Harold Little doesn’t really try to hide it. He’s a Carolina fan. After all, he and his twin brother, Darold, were raised outside of Greenville, N.C. before moving to Maryland as adolescents. Playing a sport - any sport - would’ve been a dream come true for the brothers.
That’s why, when Harold’s wife, April Little, gave birth to Nassir, sports - basketball and everything else - were the last things on his mind.
“I cried like a baby (after he committed),” Harold Little said. “…It’s surreal for me to be a North Carolina native, growing up rooting for the team and never having the opportunity to do it for myself… You know when Nassir was born, he was born premature, that day I never pictured my son having the potential to be playing for probably one of the most revered basketball programs in the world. Now, sitting on the precipice of him doing that, I still don’t believe it to be honest with you. I’m so happy and proud of him. Even now, it’s coming up again after you asked that question, the emotions. I never saw anything like this coming for my child.”
There were a few signs early on, however, that Little playing at UNC might be a possibility.
Many of us grow up emulating the things our fathers emulated. So, Nassir Little, whether conscious or not, had a predisposition to like and appreciate North Carolina basketball. He’d heard his father tell stories about Michael Jordan, James Worthy, Vince Carter, Rasheed Wallace and Antawn Jamison.
The Little family moved around a bit during Nassir’s childhood, because his father was in the military. They moved back to the United States, after spending three years in England, when Nassir was 12.
“Everyone always jokingly asks him, ‘Where did you (Nassir) get it from?”’ said Harold Little. “My wife was an all-state high school player in Florida. But he didn’t get it from either of us, man. It’s all on him. When he first started playing basketball you kind of knew he was special. He’s the kid, when we moved back from England, when he got here he said, ‘Dad a coach talked to me and he thinks I should play basketball.’ He said ‘I don’t know how to play but I’m going to watch these YouTube videos and learn how to.’”
An Offer and a Visit
After months of building a relationship, Little picked up a UNC scholarship offer on July 31. It was the offer he’d been waiting for, and he immediately scheduled an official visit.
“He (Williams) told me I was the first player he was calling after the live periods, and that he saw me fitting in at North Carolina, and he explained how he thought I would play there, what my role would be and how he thinks I fit their culture,” Nassir Little told Inside Carolina in July. “And then he offered me, and told me I had a scholarship to the University of North Carolina.”
Williams envisioned Little’s fit with UNC’s current 2018 commitments Rechon Black and Coby White and conveyed that in memorable - and characteristically corny - fashion.
“They had a little slogan that he said,” Little recalled. "He said 'Carolina wants a Little bit of Black and White.’"
In the months before the offer, and independent of Little, the North Carolina staff had been kicking around ideas on how to honor – and present rings to – the 2017 national championship team. Eventually, thanks to an idea from UNC Director of Player Development Eric Hoots, halftime of UNC’s football game against Louisville on Sept. 9 would not just honor the 2017 team, but all of Carolina’s NCAA championship teams.
As, arguably, UNC’s top target in 2018, that date was the one Robinson took back to the Little family for an official visit.
“I don’t think I can come up with enough adjectives to describe how persistent and consistent they were in their recruitment of Nas,” said Harold Little. “Any major positive adjective that I could give… they never wavered at all. This was consistent between Coach Robinson and Coach Williams. (They said) ‘Nassir Little is our guy. We believe you and believe in you, and that is not changing.’”
Harold Little describes his son as a true intellectual, who is “stoic” and doesn’t ever want to be seen as a “fan boy.” That played out during his UNC official visit. He was very coy with other recruits in attendance – including UNC commitments Black and White, and Jeremiah Francis, as well as UNC targets Armando Bacot and Wendell Moore – and tried not to show much emotion or tip his hand while dining and hanging with members of UNC’s team.
While his outward appearance hindered any attempts at detecting a “tell,” inside he loved what he saw.
“The tipping point was Nassir getting a feel for the campus life on his visit,” said Harold Little. "It felt very much like a college atmosphere. It felt college-y. One thing that Nassir said was that ‘Dad we’re basketball players and we love the love. When I was at other schools, no one knew who the other guys were who played basketball.’ He said at Carolina, ‘I’m a recruit and people knew who I was. They know who I am, my stats, what I did. It’s the way they treat basketball around there.’”
Sept. 26
Even after growing up a UNC fan, getting an offer, and loving his official visit many still believed Nassir Little was headed to Arizona. He’d had good conversations with Sean Miller and his staff, an in-home visit Harold Little described as “absolutely amazing,” saw in Stanley Johnson someone to emulate should he decide to become a one-and-done (OAD) player and, as the world found out on Sept. 26, a familiar face was allegedly wielding his influence on Nassir’s decision for monetary gain.
Augustine, who had first talked to Lebo about Nassir Little, was part of an FBI investigation that revolved around payments from - and to - college coaches, financial advisors and an Adidas executive in exchange for the services of several players, allegedly, at schools that included Miami, Louisville, South Carolina, Arizona and Auburn.
It seemed, based on clues in the document, that Nassir Little was “Player 12” in the FBIs indictment, and Augustine attempted to sell Little's services to Miami and Arizona, two of the schools in his top five along with Duke, Georgia Tech and UNC.
The Little family denies any wrongdoing and expects to be cleared by both the FBI and the NCAA - they have been advised to refrain from publicly discussing the matter until then. In the 10 days since the arrests, Little remained a top priority for UNC, just as he was the morning after Williams saw him in April.
“Even when everything first came out, he and Coach Robinson… they said ‘we know you guys,” explained Harold Little. "(They said) We put everything that we are behind you. (They said) 'we are not backing off one bit on wanting Nassir to come to the University of North Carolina.' Every day, that was their message.”
The Decision
April, Harold and Nassir met in Orlando last weekend to regroup as a family and consider the next steps in Nassir’s recruitment.
A day after the FBI arrests, and a day after finding out someone close to them sought to, according to the family, benefit financially from Nassir’s recruitment, Nassir took to Twitter. He wasn’t sure what he wanted to say, but he knew he wanted to distance himself from the schools allegedly implicated in the report – Miami and Arizona – that were among his final group. So, he tweeted that he was “reopening” his recruitment.
Harold Little caught wind of it and immediately told his son to delete the tweet. After talking, Nassir told his father he was simply frustrated that people thought he’d done something illegal and immoral.
Duke, per a source, had been eliminated earlier in the process because of its attempt to slow play Little while waiting for a recruit higher on its board to make a decision. Miami and Arizona were obviously out, leaving only Georgia Tech and North Carolina.
While having dinner with his family, Little called Williams to let him know he’d made up his mind.
"Coach, I was hoping to make you a little bit happier today by letting you know that I want to come to the University of North Carolina,” Nassir Little told Williams.
According to Harold Little, Williams was unsure if Nassir was serious, so he asked Nassir to clarify. After Little confirmed again that he wanted to commit to Carolina, Williams let out a loud scream and started laughing.
It was the end of a roller coaster journey for both Little and UNC.
“We’re just over the moon,” said Harold Little. “I’m so extremely happy and proud of my son.”
Now, Little is preparing to finish up his senior season at Orlando (Fla.) Christian Prep before signing with UNC in November, and enrolling in June. On the court, Williams and Robinson see a skilled, athletic player able to step in and help UNC right away.
"He said he saw me as someone who was real versatile,” Little relayed from his conversations with Williams. "He wants me to come to North Carolina and be the guy who can do a little bit of everything on the court. A guy who can get by big guys with speed and quickness, and then someone who can take smaller guys in the post and use my size. They've been comparing me to Theo Pinson a lot, but saying I'm a little bit better of a shooter so I can keep the defense honest and then use my versatility even more. He said they're losing Theo (Pinson) and that I could come in and compete for a starting role."
Harold Little sees a different comparison: “The biggest influence at UNC on Nassir was Justin Jackson, because people say they kind of play alike. Everyone compares him to Theo Pinson, but I think he’s more like Justin than Theo. Maybe he might be a little more athletically dynamic than Justin, but what he can do relates more to Justin.
“(Nassir) applies his academic acumen to his basketball acumen,” Harold Little continued. “Coach Robinson said he knew this kid was good because: ‘After the spring, I told him some things, then when I came back this summer and watched him play, the things I told him he implemented it into the standard program (with his AAU team). He just did what I told him to. When I saw that, (I knew) this kid is a coach’s dream because when he comes here I know I’m going to be able to coach him and if something changes during a game, I know he’s going to be able to apply and implement it right away.’”
Robinson, the lead recruiter for Little, is one of many reasons UNC has its first top 10 commitment since Justin Jackson (Robinson also led his recruitment) in the class of 2014.
“Being around him, his family, and how genuine they are, played a big role in Nassir’s decision," Harold Little said of Robinson. "We went to his house and had dinner on the last night of the official visit, and being around all them… he’s just been unreal. He’s probably the most significant part of why this happened to be honest with you. Even though Roy Williams is Roy Williams, in my eyes Coach Robinson was easily the most significant reason this happened.”
Though Little wants to be one and done in college, what's more important to him is to leave his mark.
“For him being a Florida kid, he kind of looks at Joel Berry from afar,” said Harold Little. He just plays everything cool (publicly). In private time with family, he wants to have the same impact as Joel Berry, being a Florida kid.”
Roy Williams and his assistant coaches have proven their mettle on the recruiting trail in securing three of their last four verbal commitments. These commitments required focus, persistence, and patience.
Hubert Davis helped Williams close on Brooks after his sudden commitment to, and decommitment a few months later from, Mississippi State. Brad Frederick and Williams navigated NCAA and ACC rules, and legal processes and protocols, before landing Johnson, an intra-conference transfer from Pittsburgh with two years of eligibility remaining.
This week Robinson and Williams celebrated the Tar Heel commitment of Little, a marquee recruiting victory, which followed one of the wilder recruitments that one can remember the UNC staff winning since Williams returned to Chapel Hill.
So, let’s go back to the beginning.
A Tip from a Tar Heel
Last fall, East Carolina coach Jeff Lebo spotted a player he believed could change the Pirates' program.
So, he traveled to Orlando (Fla.) Christian Prep to watch 2018 point guard Ronaldo "Rondo" Segu, who has since committed to Buffalo, in an open gym.
While there, he noticed another player dominating the session. Physically imposing at 6-7, with a non-stop motor and a burgeoning perimeter game, Lebo saw someone who he thought could play at the highest levels of college basketball.
After learning Little wouldn't have any interest in East Carolina, Lebo asked about North Carolina, where Lebo starred under Dean Smith three decades ago. The answer was ‘Yes,' and on the way back to Greenville, N.C. Lebo phoned UNC assistant Hubert Davis.
Davis passed the info on to fellow assistant Steve Robinson, who contacted Brad Augustine, former program director for Little's AAU team 1FamilyHoops.
Several months went by - as UNC eventually won the ACC regular-season championship, and then beat Gonzaga to win the national championship - without any contact between Little and UNC.
Then, unannounced, Robinson showed up at one of Little’s AAU games during the second live period in April. Twenty-four hours later, Williams, fresh off a flight from Indianapolis, arrived in Atlanta to watch Little’s 8 a.m. game.
In his first game in front of Williams, Little posted 22 points (9-16 FG, 2-3 3pt), 13 rebounds and five blocks. From then on, he became a priority for UNC.
“UNC just did a very good job of presenting their legacy, which kind of speaks for itself,” Nassir's father, Harold Little, explained. “Then they answered the hard questions that we had. The other thing they did well, they presented how Nassir fits with what they want to do. From a basketball perspective, you want to know that your kid has the opportunity to play. Not necessarily start, but at least get to play. They showed that. I’m sure you’re aware of this, but they were very transparent with their recruiting. Everyone they were recruiting they were upfront about it. What they’ve said in regards to how they feel about Nassir resonated. Not only did they want him, but they showed and said that they needed him.”
Lifelong Fan
Harold Little doesn’t really try to hide it. He’s a Carolina fan. After all, he and his twin brother, Darold, were raised outside of Greenville, N.C. before moving to Maryland as adolescents. Playing a sport - any sport - would’ve been a dream come true for the brothers.
That’s why, when Harold’s wife, April Little, gave birth to Nassir, sports - basketball and everything else - were the last things on his mind.
“I cried like a baby (after he committed),” Harold Little said. “…It’s surreal for me to be a North Carolina native, growing up rooting for the team and never having the opportunity to do it for myself… You know when Nassir was born, he was born premature, that day I never pictured my son having the potential to be playing for probably one of the most revered basketball programs in the world. Now, sitting on the precipice of him doing that, I still don’t believe it to be honest with you. I’m so happy and proud of him. Even now, it’s coming up again after you asked that question, the emotions. I never saw anything like this coming for my child.”
There were a few signs early on, however, that Little playing at UNC might be a possibility.
Many of us grow up emulating the things our fathers emulated. So, Nassir Little, whether conscious or not, had a predisposition to like and appreciate North Carolina basketball. He’d heard his father tell stories about Michael Jordan, James Worthy, Vince Carter, Rasheed Wallace and Antawn Jamison.
The Little family moved around a bit during Nassir’s childhood, because his father was in the military. They moved back to the United States, after spending three years in England, when Nassir was 12.
“Everyone always jokingly asks him, ‘Where did you (Nassir) get it from?”’ said Harold Little. “My wife was an all-state high school player in Florida. But he didn’t get it from either of us, man. It’s all on him. When he first started playing basketball you kind of knew he was special. He’s the kid, when we moved back from England, when he got here he said, ‘Dad a coach talked to me and he thinks I should play basketball.’ He said ‘I don’t know how to play but I’m going to watch these YouTube videos and learn how to.’”
An Offer and a Visit
After months of building a relationship, Little picked up a UNC scholarship offer on July 31. It was the offer he’d been waiting for, and he immediately scheduled an official visit.
“He (Williams) told me I was the first player he was calling after the live periods, and that he saw me fitting in at North Carolina, and he explained how he thought I would play there, what my role would be and how he thinks I fit their culture,” Nassir Little told Inside Carolina in July. “And then he offered me, and told me I had a scholarship to the University of North Carolina.”
Williams envisioned Little’s fit with UNC’s current 2018 commitments Rechon Black and Coby White and conveyed that in memorable - and characteristically corny - fashion.
“They had a little slogan that he said,” Little recalled. "He said 'Carolina wants a Little bit of Black and White.’"
In the months before the offer, and independent of Little, the North Carolina staff had been kicking around ideas on how to honor – and present rings to – the 2017 national championship team. Eventually, thanks to an idea from UNC Director of Player Development Eric Hoots, halftime of UNC’s football game against Louisville on Sept. 9 would not just honor the 2017 team, but all of Carolina’s NCAA championship teams.
As, arguably, UNC’s top target in 2018, that date was the one Robinson took back to the Little family for an official visit.
“I don’t think I can come up with enough adjectives to describe how persistent and consistent they were in their recruitment of Nas,” said Harold Little. “Any major positive adjective that I could give… they never wavered at all. This was consistent between Coach Robinson and Coach Williams. (They said) ‘Nassir Little is our guy. We believe you and believe in you, and that is not changing.’”
Harold Little describes his son as a true intellectual, who is “stoic” and doesn’t ever want to be seen as a “fan boy.” That played out during his UNC official visit. He was very coy with other recruits in attendance – including UNC commitments Black and White, and Jeremiah Francis, as well as UNC targets Armando Bacot and Wendell Moore – and tried not to show much emotion or tip his hand while dining and hanging with members of UNC’s team.
While his outward appearance hindered any attempts at detecting a “tell,” inside he loved what he saw.
“The tipping point was Nassir getting a feel for the campus life on his visit,” said Harold Little. "It felt very much like a college atmosphere. It felt college-y. One thing that Nassir said was that ‘Dad we’re basketball players and we love the love. When I was at other schools, no one knew who the other guys were who played basketball.’ He said at Carolina, ‘I’m a recruit and people knew who I was. They know who I am, my stats, what I did. It’s the way they treat basketball around there.’”
Sept. 26
Even after growing up a UNC fan, getting an offer, and loving his official visit many still believed Nassir Little was headed to Arizona. He’d had good conversations with Sean Miller and his staff, an in-home visit Harold Little described as “absolutely amazing,” saw in Stanley Johnson someone to emulate should he decide to become a one-and-done (OAD) player and, as the world found out on Sept. 26, a familiar face was allegedly wielding his influence on Nassir’s decision for monetary gain.
Augustine, who had first talked to Lebo about Nassir Little, was part of an FBI investigation that revolved around payments from - and to - college coaches, financial advisors and an Adidas executive in exchange for the services of several players, allegedly, at schools that included Miami, Louisville, South Carolina, Arizona and Auburn.
It seemed, based on clues in the document, that Nassir Little was “Player 12” in the FBIs indictment, and Augustine attempted to sell Little's services to Miami and Arizona, two of the schools in his top five along with Duke, Georgia Tech and UNC.
The Little family denies any wrongdoing and expects to be cleared by both the FBI and the NCAA - they have been advised to refrain from publicly discussing the matter until then. In the 10 days since the arrests, Little remained a top priority for UNC, just as he was the morning after Williams saw him in April.
“Even when everything first came out, he and Coach Robinson… they said ‘we know you guys,” explained Harold Little. "(They said) We put everything that we are behind you. (They said) 'we are not backing off one bit on wanting Nassir to come to the University of North Carolina.' Every day, that was their message.”
The Decision
April, Harold and Nassir met in Orlando last weekend to regroup as a family and consider the next steps in Nassir’s recruitment.
A day after the FBI arrests, and a day after finding out someone close to them sought to, according to the family, benefit financially from Nassir’s recruitment, Nassir took to Twitter. He wasn’t sure what he wanted to say, but he knew he wanted to distance himself from the schools allegedly implicated in the report – Miami and Arizona – that were among his final group. So, he tweeted that he was “reopening” his recruitment.
Harold Little caught wind of it and immediately told his son to delete the tweet. After talking, Nassir told his father he was simply frustrated that people thought he’d done something illegal and immoral.
Duke, per a source, had been eliminated earlier in the process because of its attempt to slow play Little while waiting for a recruit higher on its board to make a decision. Miami and Arizona were obviously out, leaving only Georgia Tech and North Carolina.
While having dinner with his family, Little called Williams to let him know he’d made up his mind.
"Coach, I was hoping to make you a little bit happier today by letting you know that I want to come to the University of North Carolina,” Nassir Little told Williams.
According to Harold Little, Williams was unsure if Nassir was serious, so he asked Nassir to clarify. After Little confirmed again that he wanted to commit to Carolina, Williams let out a loud scream and started laughing.
It was the end of a roller coaster journey for both Little and UNC.
“We’re just over the moon,” said Harold Little. “I’m so extremely happy and proud of my son.”
Now, Little is preparing to finish up his senior season at Orlando (Fla.) Christian Prep before signing with UNC in November, and enrolling in June. On the court, Williams and Robinson see a skilled, athletic player able to step in and help UNC right away.
"He said he saw me as someone who was real versatile,” Little relayed from his conversations with Williams. "He wants me to come to North Carolina and be the guy who can do a little bit of everything on the court. A guy who can get by big guys with speed and quickness, and then someone who can take smaller guys in the post and use my size. They've been comparing me to Theo Pinson a lot, but saying I'm a little bit better of a shooter so I can keep the defense honest and then use my versatility even more. He said they're losing Theo (Pinson) and that I could come in and compete for a starting role."
Harold Little sees a different comparison: “The biggest influence at UNC on Nassir was Justin Jackson, because people say they kind of play alike. Everyone compares him to Theo Pinson, but I think he’s more like Justin than Theo. Maybe he might be a little more athletically dynamic than Justin, but what he can do relates more to Justin.
“(Nassir) applies his academic acumen to his basketball acumen,” Harold Little continued. “Coach Robinson said he knew this kid was good because: ‘After the spring, I told him some things, then when I came back this summer and watched him play, the things I told him he implemented it into the standard program (with his AAU team). He just did what I told him to. When I saw that, (I knew) this kid is a coach’s dream because when he comes here I know I’m going to be able to coach him and if something changes during a game, I know he’s going to be able to apply and implement it right away.’”
Robinson, the lead recruiter for Little, is one of many reasons UNC has its first top 10 commitment since Justin Jackson (Robinson also led his recruitment) in the class of 2014.
“Being around him, his family, and how genuine they are, played a big role in Nassir’s decision," Harold Little said of Robinson. "We went to his house and had dinner on the last night of the official visit, and being around all them… he’s just been unreal. He’s probably the most significant part of why this happened to be honest with you. Even though Roy Williams is Roy Williams, in my eyes Coach Robinson was easily the most significant reason this happened.”
Though Little wants to be one and done in college, what's more important to him is to leave his mark.
“For him being a Florida kid, he kind of looks at Joel Berry from afar,” said Harold Little. He just plays everything cool (publicly). In private time with family, he wants to have the same impact as Joel Berry, being a Florida kid.”
