Today, Finland will face Sweden in the men’s basketball qualifiers at 6.30 pm.
– Miro is a real talent on a European and global scale. For him, only the sky is the limit.
Thus Miro Littleä describes a long – time star player of the Finnish national basketball team Petteri Koponenwho has seen numerous young promises around the world during his career.
So who is Miro Little, who turned 18 on May 30?
In all its simplicity, he is representing the Cleveland Cavaliers Lauri Markkasen after the next Finnish player with a realistic chance to play in the top basketball league in the NBA.
Before, the NBA was a dream for Little. Over the past year, the dream has become a goal.
The promise of the butler has all the help to do it. He is tall enough as a backman – 193 cents. In addition, Little has excellent physical properties.
And most importantly, he knows how to play basketball.
– My biggest strengths at the moment are game management, game reading and passing skills. My biggest weakness is still the throwing skill so far, but that too has evolved recently. That’s what I’m focusing on the most at the moment, says Miro Little in an interview with Sport.
– In recent weeks, there have been about 2,000 extra throws outside of practice. I try to get that amount at least every week.
“I’ve known what I want since I was a child”
Talent is ultimately what you do with talent. This matter has been internalized by Miro Little. He is willing to work hard to achieve his own goals.
This is easy to believe as Little chats in a balanced voice at the Urhea Hall cafe after Susijeng’s rehearsals. The answers come thoughtfully, but behind the words you can feel a strong belief in yourself.
Little learned his basketball at the junior mill in Pyrinnen, Tampere. For the past three years, he has lived in Helsinki and represented the Helsinki Basketball Academy.
– I knew what I wanted from an early age. My coach and parents have also been able to steer in the right direction. There is a lot of work ahead and several areas still need to be developed, Little piles up.
Tensed the national team debut all the way to abdominal pain
Little experienced the biggest leap of his career so far in February when he made his debut at the age of 17 in Susijeng’s shirt in the World Cup qualifiers against Slovenia. At the same time, he became the first minor to play for the national team then Teemu Rannikon.
Little immediately impressed the Finnish audience of more than five thousand by playing without prejudice. In the end, the debut game had a balance of six assists and three rebounds in 12 minutes.
Few players are ready to make the effort from Finland’s number one division to be in charge of the national team.
– It was a big jump. I had never played in front of such a large audience. I rarely get excited because I feel at home on the field.
– Then the situation was different. I was so tense that my stomach hurt. I was wondering what was really going on here. When I finally got to the field, I felt normal and felt at home, Little recalls.
Little says he has been well received on the national team. Having said that, a few more experienced team players walk past Sport’s interview session and shout for a young promise.
– Take it easy, just Miro! No need to sit back straight. Casually!
Little has been growing the cornerstone of Susijeng for more than a decade. The men’s national team is on the verge of a transition right now. Shawn Huffin and experienced rollers like Petteri Koponen are moving aside. At the same time, young power has already emerged.
Little has impressed Susijeng’s experienced guard with his hard work ethic.
– I’ve got to know Miro a little bit and seen how he practices. The biggest thing about Miro is that he has realized that talent without work takes you nowhere. Training is the most important thing because basketball is such a global sport and the competition is fierce, says Petteri Koponen.
– Miro’s physical qualities are completely insane and he is very skilled. It’s really nice to see that the young boy is already pretty ready to play at this level. Of course, it still lacks some experience, but it only comes from playing hard games and more experienced friends in practice, says Sasu Salin.
– A player like Miro decides for himself what the money is enough for. The biggest condition is that he stays healthy, says Henrik Dettmann, head of coaching.
According to Little, the strong desire to work has become a legacy of blood.
– Dad is icing hard to make a dune. Of course, it also has an impact when I see both my parents and the whole family working on the things they want to be. When I look at what they do, it has a big impact on me every time I’m on the field, Glow Little.
Family support is important
The love for basketball has come at a young age, as the sport has been a big part of everyday life in the Little family since the baby.
His father LaTrice is a former main league level player and currently serves as a referee in the basketball league. Also Kati-mother is a strong background influencer in Tampere basketball.
– When I was younger, I trained a lot with my father. Both of my parents are really encouraging. Of course, they will also help as much as possible if I ask them for advice. They let the coaches take care of their own business and encourage and support me, says Little.
The family’s basketball dominance has also changed from father to son. However, this did not happen until January in the United States. That’s when Miro won his father’s LaTric for the first time in a one-on-one game.
– Dad hadn’t agreed to play against me for a long time. He was not allowed to make any more baskets against me. I remember winning the game 8-0. It was a very quick sweep, Little laughs.
Little, who has had diabetes, has learned from a young age to take responsibility for himself and what he does. Little feels that this thing has made him a better basketball player and human.
– It must always be taken into account. It’s also something that never goes away. I have a puddle in the stretcher that is sure to show up somewhere in the pictures. It’s is externally the only thing you notice that I suffer from diabetes, says Little.
– I have learned to take responsibility for it from the very beginning and take care of it completely myself. It has also helped me grow a lot as a person. If you treat your diabetes well, it won’t affect anything.
The next step in my career in the United States
Little has thoughtfully advanced his career. He himself talks about all the past and future steps in his career taking him toward his biggest goal in the NBA.
In the season that ended in 2021–2022, Little banged handsome numbers on the HBA-Märsky divari team shirt. He contracted 21.8 points, 9.2 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 2.7 exploits per match. Little immersed his three-point throw with a nice 38% accuracy.
The next step in Little’s career will be crossed in the fall as she travels across the ocean. He will move to the high school team at Sunrise Christian Academy in Kansas next season.
Since then, Little has committed to playing at a high-profile Baylor University.
– Those are things that have been on my mind for a long time. When I was younger, I thought I wanted to come to Mäkelänrinne Sports High School and play in the HBA. Since then, I’ve thought I want to play in high school and college, from where I’ll continue to the NBA, Little says with a face to face reading.
– These have all been stairs that I’ve wanted to hurt. Now is the time to do so, and it must be seized. It is the pursuit of a bigger dream through smaller dreams.
Some twenty large universities competed for Little’s services. In January, Little and his associates visited the universities of Baylor, Indiana and Villanova. The decision to commit to Baylor’s program came right after the trip.
– Three outsiders just left for the NBA. They also have a lot of experience with European players who have also made it to the NBA. The last time my good friend was booked from there Jeremy Sochan, which is semi – Polish. He also told me what kind of everyday life and practice is like in Baylor, says Little.
– I already know that things are not dancing with roses all the time, but difficult moments are definitely ahead.
The NBA’s dream has become a goal
Little’s thoughts on the NBA changed more than a year ago, when the big universities in the United States expressed interest in a Finnish bachelor. That’s when the dream became a goal.
For Little, the NBA has been a league that has been with him for as long as he remembers. LaTrice’s father has shown his son Michael Jordanin highlights from youtube to little boy. Little considers Jordan the best player of all time.
Naturally, a young Finn follows the NBA’s events closely. Nowadays, his list of favorite players includes skilled rearmen Chris Paul, Devin Booker mixed Kyrie Irving.
Little wants to rise to the level of his role models in the NBA in the future.
– I want to go there and I want to stay there. Many say they want to go to the NBA, but I want to stay there for a long time and be a good player there too. It’s a big goal, but I work on it every day, says Little about his goals.
Where will you see yourself in 10 years?
– I will play the best years of my career in the NBA then, Little decides emphatically.