PHOENIX — John Little has officially been named the first head coach of the Valley Suns, the G League affiliate of the Phoenix Suns.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The press release on Little’s hiring reads:
“The Valley Suns, the NBA G League affiliate of the Phoenix Suns, today announced John Little as head coach.
“Little joins the Valley Suns for the team’s inaugural season after serving as an assistant coach in the NBA G League over the last five years. During the 2023-24 season with the Maine Celtics, Boston’s G League affiliate, he helped guide the team to the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference and an appearance in the 2024 NBA G League Finals. Prior to Maine, Little was on the coaching staff of the Wisconsin Herd, Milwaukee’s G League affiliate, from 2019-23.
“A native of Peoria, Illinois, Little began his coaching career as a video coordinator at his alma mater, the University of Northern Iowa, after playing professionally in Germany for nearly a decade. While overseas, he was a member of the 2016 FIBA Europe Cup championship team with the Fraport Skyliners and won the 2010 EuroChallenge title with BG Göttingen. His professional career followed four years at Northern Iowa, where he appeared on three consecutive NCAA tournament teams from 2004-06.”
Valley #Suns officially hire John Little as head coach https://t.co/okQJN1oDd6 pic.twitter.com/rlzdg4eoMC
— Burn City Suns Talk ????️ (@BurnCitySuns) July 25, 2024
HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto reported a week ago the Suns were hiring Little.
The hiring of Little is the first major move made by new Valley Suns general manager Brendan Sabean.
“John’s invaluable experience in the G League and in developing players will provide an immediate impact as we enter into the first season of Valley Suns basketball,” Saben said in a quote posted by the Valley Suns.
ready to get to work ???? pic.twitter.com/1hSjbMMgLv
— Valley Suns (@GLeagueSuns) July 25, 2024
The Valley Suns selected 14 players in an expansion draft earlier last month. Jahlil Okafor, Emmanuel Mudiay, Denzel Valentine and Theo Maledon highlighted the names from the draft. Additionally, Phoenix has signed undrafted Baylor wing Jalen Bridges and former Nuggets guard Collin Gillespie to two-way contracts, so they could see some time with the Valley Suns.
The G League Suns will be playing their inaugural season at Arizona State University’s Mullett Arena beginning this fall. Fans interested in season tickets can visit thevalleysuns.com for more information.
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Brendan Mau is a senior writer covering the Phoenix Suns and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @Brendan_Mau
