Christian Little: Living your hoops dream

Putting his hoops dreams first, Christian Little will move halfway across the world for a reunion on the court. 

Little studied accounting at Regis University, where he was named RMAC All-Tournament Team twice in his four years. 

He also played alongside NBL1 East MVP William Cranston-Lown for the 2019-20 season, with that connection leading Little to sign with the Maitland Mustangs for this upcoming season. 

The pair have been in touch since college, sharing highlights and game clips throughout the years – particularly catching Little’s attention after Cranston-Lown started continually dropping over 30 points per game last season. 

He's got 3??0?? points leading into the final term - William Cranston-Lown is having a night out for Maitland!

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— NBL1 (@NBL1) March 18, 2023

“And that's actually how he got into it, honestly,” he said.

“We'd always send each other clips… so I sent him clips of me working out, then he sent me clips of his games.” 

Little said that in college they were restricted on how creative they could be on the court. So when he saw the freedom Cranston-Lown was playing with, he immediately started thinking about what they could do together on an NBL1 court. 

“When I used to play with him, I would always try to get him to ‘play your game’. Don't worry about what the fans are gonna say or coach, just play your game,” he said.

“He's playing like what I've seen, what I know he could do (in the NBL1). When he told me his numbers, I was like, ‘This is what I expect from you’. And if anything, I think you could turn it up another notch.” 

Little’s connections go beyond just Cranston-Lown, he also spent a season as a roommate with NBL1 East All-Star Five member Ryan Beisty, who has returned to Newcastle for 2024. 

He also grew up with NBL1 National Finals Championship Game MVP Ke'Jhan Feagin – Who took the league by storm last season as one of the best point guards across the country. 

“Seeing him (Feagin) go out there and do his thing, we're talking every day when he's out there,” he said. 

“And then Will, my other teammates, I'm like okay, I’m seeing how much fun they're having out there. It looks like something I wanna be a part of.” 

Little said that disrupting the chemistry would be a mistake, with Maitland already having their ‘guy’ and making the past two Grand Finals. He said his priority is to implement his defensive skillset and complement the team as best as possible. 

“I’m trying to fit in with the returning MVP, You know what I mean? I'm not trying to come in there and be like ‘I'm gonna take your shot’,” he said.

“They have the winning recipe, they just need that extra little, you know, that dude who is going to come in there and run through a screen or something like that. So I think the defence part is what's gonna help me transition to the league the most.” 

Working full-time as an accountant, Little is making a major life move to quit his job and move from Los Angeles to Regional NSW to follow his dream of professional basketball. 

He’s always wanted to play professionally, stating that his job as an accountant is something to help him get by and save money to kickstart his new life down under. 

“This was always initially the plan (to play professionally),” he said. 

“At the end of the day, I can always do accounting, I can do that whenever. My body's healthy, I'm ready to play. There's nothing like playing… Once I get to playing basketball, there's nothing that I enjoy more.” 

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