Top Five Transfers of the Bill Self Era
By Evan Riggs
No. 5 — Mario Little
Best season — 2010-2011: 5.1 points and 2.9 rebounds per game
Little was never a focal point for the Jayhawks while he was on campus but he served an important role on one of Self’s best teams. He didn’t play big minutes or put up big numbers but Little provided instant offense off the bench.
He only played 20 or more minutes twice in the 2010-2011 season and managed to score eight or more points 10 times.
One of those times came against Missouri when Little scored a career high 17 points and also grabbed five rebounds. In 2009, Little hit a jumper that tied the game against Missouri in Colombia with less than 30 seconds left. But Missouri’s Zaire Taylor hit a shot to beat Kansas on the next possession and Little’s shot was forgotten about.
On top of that, Little was a very unselfish teammate. The junior college transfer was a contributor in 2008-2009, but even so, he agreed to redshirt in the 2009-2010 season after Self recruited over him.
Even though Little wouldn’t have seen much playing time that year, it’s still uncommon to see a senior agree to be redshirted. But Little did, and he was there for the Jayhawks when they needed him the next season.
Next: 4. Tarik Black