On Tuesday, June 2nd, the Clayton State Department of Athletics announces the appointment of Carl Little as the eighth Head Men's Basketball Coach in program history. Coach Little comes to Morrow with a wealth of experience from the DI and DII level as well as internationally.
Coach Little arrives to Clayton State after serving as the Assistant Coach at Columbus State where the Cougars finished with a record of 23-9 including going 15-5 in the Peach Belt Conference and reaching the second round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament. Coach Little coached Marlon Smith who earned NABC All-American. Prior to his time in Columbus, Little was the Assistant Coach and an Interim Head coach at Austin Peay State. During his time in Clarksville, Coach Little coached Elijah Hutchins who was the 2022 OVC Freshman of the Year, averaging 12.3 points a game and 6.8 boards a game. Prior to Austin Peay, Coach Little served as the Director of Player Development at North Carolina Central from 2019-21. During that time, Little coached the 2020 MEAC player of the Year Jibri Blount, who averaged 19.2 points and 9.5 rebounds a game, during that season.
Coach Little started his collegiate coaching career at Columbus State from 2013-17. During his first stint at Columbus State, Coach Little was on the staff who led the Cougars to their first Conference Championship in over a decade. During his tenure, Columbus State reached three straight NCAA Tournaments and three 20+ win seasons. Little then served as a Coaching Apprentice at Duke University for the 2018-19 season.
In addition to his extensive collegiate coaching experience, Coach Little has various experiences on the international stage. From 2013 to 2019, he served as the Head Coach of the United States All-Army Men’s Basketball Team. During his time with the All-Army team, Coach Little led his team to its first back-to-back Armed Forces Tournament Championships in over 15 years in the 2016 and 2017 seasons. In addition, his team went undefeated and won the Gold Medal in the 2017 Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe International Tournament defeating Germany & France. Presently, Coach Little also serves as the Chief of Staff & Director of Operations at the Soldiers to Sidelines program. Soldiers to Sidelines is a non-profit and provides training, resources, and support to military veterans and any service member to become character-driven coaches. In 2025, Little was inducted into the Military Basketball Association Hall of Fame.
Prior to coaching, Coach Little spent 20+ years in the United States Air Force and Army. When he joined in 1999, Carl was an Aircraft Armament Systems Technician serving in Italy, Korea, and Japan. Then, he was selected as a Drill Sargent at the Lackland Air Force base in Texas before he was commissioned to the US Army in 2010. During his time in the Army, he served at Fort Still in Oklahoma, Fort Benning in Georgia, and with the ROTC at NC State. During Little’s career, he was deployed to Kosovo, Turkey, Iraq, and Jordan. Little retired from military service in 2020.
Coach Little played his collegiate basketball at Virginia State University in Petersburg, Virginia but obtained his Bachelor of Science in Multidisciplinary Studies from Liberty University. Little also graduated from the University of Louisville with his Master of Science in Higher Education and is currently working towards his Doctorate in Higher Education. Carl also played professionally overseas in Japan and Italy.
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT COACH LITTLE
Coach Drew Richards | UNC Pembroke, Head Men’s Basketball Coach: "Clayton State has made a phenomenal decision in bringing in CL Little to right the ship. CL is knowledgeable, high character, and a flat-out winner. He has a proven track record of improving programs with his militaristic experience and will positively impact the relationship between the campus and basketball program. The Lakers could not be in better hands!"
Johnny Dawkins | University of Central Florida, Head Men’s Basketball Coach: “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.”
Robert Moore | Columbus State University, Head Men’s Basketball Coach: “[Carl] is great hire by Clayton State. Carl brings a wealth of basketball knowledge from coaching on every level. He knows what it takes to win at a high level in the Peach Belt Conference. His teams will play with high energy and will be discipline on both sides of the ball. Furthermore, he is just not a good basketball coach. He is an unbelievable person father and husband.”
