Kansas Guard Mario Little to Play Remainder of the Season and Not Seek Medical Hardship

Jan. 13, 2009

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas junior guard Mario Little will play the remainder of the season and not apply for a medical hardship due to injuries, KU men’s basketball coach Bill Self announced Tuesday morning.

“Mario slept on it after yesterday’s practice and this morning informed me he feels great and definitely wants to play and help this year’s team,” Self said.

Little missed the first 12 games due to injuries and made his first appearance of the season against Tennessee Jan. 3. The Chicago native recorded five rebounds and two assists in 10 minutes. He played five minutes with 3-for-4 free throws and two assists against Siena (Jan. 6) and seven minutes with three rebounds before fouling out at Michigan State (Jan. 10).

The 2008-09 Big 12 Preseason Newcomer of the Year, Little suffered a broken left hand in practice on Dec. 16. Self said Little got his hand caught in a teammate’s jersey while changing directions and broke the fourth metacarpal of his non-shooting hand. Little had just returned to practice on Dec. 5 after suffering a stress fracture in his lower left leg that put him on crutches in mid-October.

Self said he would address any further comments on Little’s status after tonight’s game against Kansas State (7 p.m., Allen Fieldhouse, Big 12 Network).