Miners sign second round draft pick Emmanuel Little
October 30, 2008 - Continental Basketball Association 1 (CBA 1)
East Kentucky Miners News Release
PIKEVILLE, KY. - Continuing a busy preseason, East Kentucky Miners Coach Kevin Keathley has announced the signing of Emmanuel Little. A highly-touted player, Little (6-5, 200) was East Kentucky's second round pick in this year's CBA Draft.
One of the most versatile performers in this year's CBA Draft, Little is an athletic swing player from North Dakota that can play the 1, 2 and 3 positions. He has excellent ball handling skills and attacks the basket relentlessly. Little is a natural scorer and an aggressive defensive player. He possesses the ability to grab rebounds from the guard position.
"We look for players who can play multiple positions and in Mr. Little, that's exactly what we have," said Keathley. "He's a lot like Josh Pace - he can run, pass, dribble and score. He can play positions 1-3 on the floor, but I'll be looking for him to fill the void left by Josh at the swing position.
"Last season, we had the CBA Newcomer of the Year in Boo Jackson and two All-Rookie Team selections in Mike Crain and Marcus Heard. There's no reason Emmanuel can't have the same type of success as those players."
Little played his high school hoops at national powerhouse Farragut Academy in Chicago. After high school, Little starred at two junior colleges - Connors State (13.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg) and Kandkaskia (16.8 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 3.5 apg). The Chicago native starred at North Dakota after his two-year junior college stint.
Little averaged 14.1 points and 8.1 rebounds per game for North Dakota during the 2006-07 season. As a senior at North Dakota during the 2007-08 season, Little averaged 15.4 points, 8 .1 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game. Little's collegiate honors included the following: All-NCC Team (07, 08), NCC All-Tournament Team (07, 08) and NCC Tournament Finalist (08). Little gained added experience earlier in the year, playing in the Eurobasket Summer League in both Chicago and Salt Lake City - where he started for London and Team Munich, respectively.
"Part of our job as coaches I feel in the CBA is to give young players an opportunity to get better and hopefully move on to the highest level," Keathley added. "That's what the CBA has always been about, and I feel like we provide the young guys that opportunity with the Miners. Emmanuel will fit in nicely with what we do."
Little is the eighth signee for the 2008-09 season for the East Kentucky professional basketball franchise. Guards Wayne Turner, Jason McLeish, Mike Crain and Mike Dean and forwards Jermaine Blackburn, Alonzo Hird and Joe Buck have also signed with the Miners.
Continental Basketball Association 1 Stories from October 30, 2008
- Miners sign second round draft pick Emmanuel Little - East Kentucky Miners
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