CHADRON, Neb. – Chadron State College and athletic director Mannie Reinsch have announced the hiring of Jalen Little to lead the CSC women's basketball program as head coach. Little will be the 12th head coach in program history and the sixth in the program's Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC)/Division II history.

Little brings nearly a decade of coaching experience within the RMAC and will be a familiar name for many CSC fans after serving as an assistant for the Chadron State men's basketball program from 2016-2020 under former Eagles coach Houston Reed. 

"It is an incredible honor to be named the head coach of Chadron State College women's basketball," Little said. "Thank you to Mannie Reinsch and the search committee for the opportunity to be part of a culture that values community and relationships in addition to competitive excellence. I'm looking forward to building something special with our student-athletes, both on and off the court. We will Protect the Rock!" 

For the past five seasons, Little has served as the lead assistant women's basketball coach at RMAC foe CSU Pueblo. During Little's time on staff, the ThunderWolves qualified for four consecutive RMAC tournaments from 2022-25, including a fifth-place finish (18-11, 13-7 RMAC) in the league standings last year. He was instrumental in recruiting Alisha Little, the two-time reigning RMAC Defensive Player of the Year who ranked second in Division II in scoring last season with 24.9 points per game. 

"I'd like to welcome Jalen and his family back to Chadron, Nebraska," Reinsch said. "Throughout the process, Jalen showcased his energy and passion for developing our student-athletes and building his culture the right way. After growing in his career and learning from some great leaders, I'm excited to see Jalen put his footprint on our women's basketball program."

Little began his coaching career by spending four seasons as an assistant coach with the Chadron State men's basketball program under Houston Reed, who coached Little as a player. During Little's tenure, the Eagles had seven All-RMAC selections and 22 All-Academic Honor Roll selections.

"Houston Reed's belief in me and bringing me to Chadron laid out an unbelievable foundation for me as a coach," Little said. "He allowed me to find my coaching voice and showed me what pouring into student-athletes at an elite level looked like."

At CSU Pueblo, Little and head coach Tommie Johnson orchestrated a 20-win turnaround for the ThunderWolves in 2021-22, which was tied for the best in the NCAA that year. After the ThunderWolves went 3-13 in a COVID-19 impacted 2020-21 season, CSU Pueblo rallied to a 23-9 record the next year, highlighted by a third-place RMAC regular season finish, runner-up finish in the RMAC Tournament and a berth in the 2022 NCAA Tournament. 

"Learning from Tommie Johnson for the past five seasons was a blessing," Little said. "He always showed what it looked like to aim high in recruiting and the value of genuine relationships. He made my transition from coaching the men's side to the women's side seamless, and I wouldn't be in this position without his leadership." 

As a student-athlete, Little played one season at Alaska Anchorage (Division II, GNAC) before transferring to Otero Junior College, where he played for Houston Reed. In his one season with the Rattlers, Little averaged 11.6 points and 6.7 assists per game. 

Little closed his playing career at the Division I level for Abiliene Christian University (Texas), where he was the Wildcats' starter at point guard for two seasons. He finished among the top six in the NCAA Division I Southland Conference both seasons for assist-to-turnover ratio, carrying a combined 2.3 ratio through the end of his ACU career.

Immediately after his playing career, Little completed a fundraising internship with Abilene Christian athletic director Lee De Leon, who at the time was the youngest athletic director in NCAA Division I. 

A native of Colorado Springs, Colorado, Little completed his Associate of Arts in psychology from Otero Junior College in 2014 and his Bachelor of Science in communications from Abilene Christian University in 2016. 

He and his wife Shantelle have two daughters, Nevaeh and Anaiya. 

Little's official start date will be July 1. A press conference introducing Little to the community will take place later this fall, with details announced at a later date.

Chadron State women's basketball is coming off a 6-20 season with a 5-15 RMAC record after playing the second-toughest nonconference schedule in Division II by opponent winning percentage. The Eagles had two Honorable Mention All-RMAC selections last season in forwards Megan Counts and Ashayla Powers, who graduated as the program's all-time leading rebounder. 

Chadron State women's basketball has made seven RMAC Tournament appearances and three NAIA District Tournament appearances since 1990.