By David Jones for Urban Media Today
MORROW, GA–Some coaches find basketball. Carl Little lived it through boot camps, overseas deployments, foreign leagues, and the halls of Duke University before finally landing where he belongs which is leading a program of his own.
“Throughout the search process, Coach Little demonstrated a clear vision for building a championship-caliber program, developing young men on and off the court, and embracing the values that define Clayton State Athletics,” Athletic Director Jermaine Rolle said. “We are confident that his leadership, experience, and passion for student-athlete success make him the right person to lead our program into its next chapter.”
At Columbus State this past season, Little helped develop Marlon Smith into an NABC All-American while the Cougars went 23-9, finished 15-5 in the Peach Belt Conference, and punched their way into the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Before that, at Austin Peay State, he worked with Elijah Hutchins, a freshman who came in raw and left as the 2022 OVC Freshman of the Year, averaging 12.3 points and 6.8 boards a game.
And before that, at North Carolina Central, he helped shape Jibri Blount into the 2020 MEAC Player of the Year who averaged 19.2 points and 9.5 rebounds a night.
During his first stint at Columbus State from 2013 to 2017, Little was part of a staff that delivered the program’s first conference championship in over a decade, three straight NCAA Tournament appearances, and three consecutive 20-win seasons. He knows the conference, the competition, and what it takes to be a factor in March.
He then sharpened his craft at one of the most storied programs in college basketball. Little spent the 2018-19 season as a coaching apprentice at Duke University under Mike Krzyzewski, an experience that doesn’t just look good on a resume. It shapes the way you see the game.
From 2013 to 2019, Little served as Head Coach of the United States All-Army Men’s Basketball Team. He led them to back-to-back Armed Forces Tournament Championships in 2016 and 2017 the first time that had been accomplished in over 15 years. Then his team went undefeated and took home the Gold Medal at the 2017 Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe International Tournament, beating Germany and France along the way. . In 2025, he was inducted into the Military Basketball Association Hall of Fame.
He enlisted in 1999 as an Aircraft Armament Systems Technician and was stationed in Italy, Korea, and Japan. He became a Drill Sergeant at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas, then was commissioned into the U.S. Army in 2010, serving at Fort Sill, Fort Benning, and with the ROTC at NC State. Over the course of his career, he was deployed to Kosovo, Turkey, Iraq, and Jordan. He retired from military service in 2020 and brought every lesson the uniform taught him straight to the sideline.
And he still gives back. Little currently serves as Chief of Staff and Director of Operations for Soldiers to Sidelines, a non-profit that helps military veterans and service members transition into coaching careers. Even now, he’s recruiting for something bigger than basketball.
Little played college basketball at Virginia State University, suited up professionally overseas in Japan and Italy, earned his bachelor’s degree from Liberty University, his master’s from the University of Louisville, and is currently working toward his doctorate in Higher Education.
Columbus State Head Coach Robert Moore, who coached alongside him most recently, said it better than any stat line could: “He is just not a good basketball coach. He is an unbelievable person, father, and husband.”
Little commented, “I’m looking forward to building a disciplined, competitive, and connected program that our players, alumni, students, and community can take pride in. Our focus will be on developing young men on and off the court while building a championship-caliber culture rooted in accountability, toughness, and togetherness.”
UCF Head Coach Johnny Dawkins, one of the sharpest minds in the game, put his endorsement simply: “Carl’s leadership, character, and passion for developing young people set him apart. He has all the qualities needed to build a successful program, and Clayton State is getting an exceptional head coach.”
Clayton State has a new general. And if the last 25 years of Carl Little’s life are any indication, he’s not showing up to Morrow to play it safe, he’s showing up to win.
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David Jones is a journalist for Urban Media Today, a sports broadcaster for the Peach Belt Network and Founder/CEO of Women’s Hoops Hidden Gems (WHHG). Follow WHHG on X at @WBBGems and on Instagram and TikTok at @wbbhiddengems.
