Paul Little (born 1960s) is an American former college basketball player who earned many accolades during his time at the University of Pennsylvania (Penn), including being named the Ivy League co-Player of the Year in 1982. As of January 2024, Little is the Chief Operating Officer of Protecdiv, an insurance technology company.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1960s |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Boston Latin Academy (Boston, Massachusetts) |
| College | Penn (1979–1983) |
| NBA draft | 1983: 7th round, 154th overall pick |
| Selected by the Portland Trail Blazers | |
| Position | Forward |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Playing career
editHigh school
editLittle grew up in Massachusetts and attended Boston Latin Academy, a public exam school in Boston. He starred for the basketball team, where as a senior in 1978–79 he averaged 24 points and 16 rebounds per game, led them to the Boston City League championship, and was named the most valuable player (MVP) of the league.[1][2]
College
editLittle enrolled at Penn in 1979–80 to play for the Quakers. He made an immediate impact: Little averaged 9.8 points and 5.1 rebounds per game and helped lead Penn to an Ivy League regular season championship. He was named to the All-Ivy League Second Team and also tabbed the Ivy League Rookie of the Year.[3][4] He followed his freshman season up with a strong sophomore campaign which saw him repeat as an All-Ivy Second Team selection, although the Quakers finished in second place in conference standings.[3][5]
As a junior, Little averaged 11.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.9 steals per game. Penn won their second Ivy League regular season championship in three years. Little was named to the All-Ivy League First Team, and was honored as the Ivy League co-Player of the Year with Princeton's Craig Robinson.[3][6][7] He was also tabbed by the Associated Press as an honorable mention NCAA All-American.[8]
In his fourth and final collegiate season in 1982–83, Penn finished second in the Ivy League, but Little garnered a postseason honor by being named to the All-Ivy League Second Team after averaging 12.6 points and 5.7 rebounds per game.[3] He became the first play in University of Pennsylvania history to be named to four all-conference teams.[3][9][10] In 104 career games, Little scored 1,116 points and grabbed 577 rebounds.[3]
Professional
editLittle was selected in the 1983 NBA draft by the Portland Trail Blazers in the seventh round (154th overall).[11][12] In October 1983 the Trail Blazers waived him.[11] He never played professionally.
Later life
editSince 1985, Little has been in the insurance industry. As of January 2024, he serves at Protecdiv's Chief Operating Office while also serving on Accelerant's board of directors.[10]
References
edit- ^ O'Neil, Peter (February 23, 1979). "Latin takes City title, 51–46". The Boston Globe. Boston, Massachusetts. p. 49. Retrieved December 22, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Newman, Chuck (November 25, 1979). "There's lots of enthusiasm but not much experience". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. p. 52. Retrieved December 22, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d e f "Paul Little college stats". sports-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. 2023. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
- ^ "1979–80 Penn Quakers Men's Roster and Stats". sports-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. 2023. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
- ^ "1980–81 Penn Quakers Men's Roster and Stats". sports-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. 2023. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
- ^ "1981–82 Penn Quakers Men's Roster and Stats". sports-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. 2023. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
- ^ "Lucas is first Red All-Ivy since 1976–77". The Ithaca Journal. Ithaca, New York. March 15, 1982. p. 13. Retrieved December 22, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "AP All-American". Detroit Free Press. Detroit, Michigan. March 11, 1982. p. 56. Retrieved December 22, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "1982–83 Penn Quakers Men's Roster and Stats". sports-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. 2023. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
- ^ a b "Insurtech Accelerant Names Protecdiv COO Paul Little to Board of Directors". BusinessWire.com. Berkshire Hathaway. December 14, 2022. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
- ^ a b "Paul Little player profile". basketball.realgm.com. RealGM. 2023. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
- ^ Silary, Ted (June 29, 1983). "Caught in the Draft". Philadelphia Daily News. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. p. 79. Retrieved December 22, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
External links
edit- College career statistics @ sports-reference.com