CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — After a successful high school career, Unioto’s Isaac Little has found himself back on the court. But now he is coaching and hoping to pass down his passion and knowledge to the next generation of high school athletes. If you are at all familiar with local high school basketball, you know Isaac had a very successful career at point guard, leading his team to the Regional Semifinals in 2021. Unioto ultimately lost that game to a tough Desales team that went on to be runner-up in the State tournament.

It’s pretty cool to see Isaac still involved with the program as a coach, but even more interesting is the fact he has his younger brother on the team. Jude Little is a freshman and hopes to follow in his brother’s footsteps.

Currently on the court as a point guard and shooting guard, Jude is expecting big things over the next four seasons. As you can probably imagine, this has created an interesting dynamic for the brothers. I asked Jude what it’s like having his brother coach him. Jude replied, “It’s kind of weird for sure. I think it’s impacted our off-court relationship as well and I think I’m going to enjoy being coached by him the rest of the season.”

Isaac said when the opportunity to coach the freshman team came up, he ‘thought it would be a great experience.’ During our conversation, I quickly learned Isaac has a passion, not only for basketball, but also for passing his knowledge on to these kids. “It’s definitely different, but not that different at the same time. I was a point guard my whole life, so I was kinda the coach on the floor. I learned a lot from my coaches, so I feel like I understood the game well. The only difference now is that I have the benefit of teaching a whole new group of kids the same things I was taught.” Isaac also understands the unique dynamic of coaching his younger brother. “It is definitely different than any other basketball season we have been a part of. I’d like to say that I have a really good understanding of the game and I’m really excited to pass that on to him and the rest of the team firsthand.”

Both Isaac and Jude have plans for the future and it looks like basketball might play a part in their lives for years to come. Jude enjoys basketball as a way to have fun, but he also understands the need to constantly work at improving. 

Jude says, “I anticipate having a pretty good high school career. I hope to keep getting better at basketball and being a contributor to my team. I really hope I also continue to enjoy playing and having fun.” Isaac isn’t sure what basketball will look like for him in the near future, but it seems likely we will see him on the sidelines at some point down the road. “I haven’t really thought much about coaching into my future. Right now the next step of my life is school and starting my career. With that being said, I definitely think it’s a possibility that I could return to it in the future. I have a great joy for the game and only time will tell.”

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