A few months from now, Baylor transfer Miro Little will be making his debut with the University of Utah when the Runnin’ Utes play their first season in the Big 12.
Before that happens, though, the 6-foot-4 point guard is taking his shot at what would be a major accomplishment: playing in the Olympics.
This week, Little will play for the Finnish National Team as it competes in the FIBA Olympic men’s basketball qualifying tournament in Valencia, Spain.
There will be four different Olympic qualifying tournaments going on simultaneously this week. The others will be played in Greece, Latvia and Puerto Rico.
The winner of each of the four qualifying tournaments will earn a spot in the upcoming Paris Olympics, joining already-qualified teams from France, the United States, Canada, Australia, South Sudan, Japan, Serbia and Germany.
Little is coming off a 13-point effort in a friendly last week against Latvia, when Finland won 90-84. Little made 3 of 4 3-pointers in the game and added four assists, two rebounds and a steal in almost 20 minutes of action.
Little already had some experience playing for the Finland national team prior to this summer, as he was on the squad for the 2023 FIBA World Cup, including the qualifiers.
He also has some familiar Utah faces surrounding him on the Finland National Team — former Utah great Hanno Möttölä is an assistant coach, while former Utes forward Mikael Jantunen Is one of the team’s top players.
Jantunen will be counted on to help lead the Finnish team, particularly with Lauri Markkanen, the star Utah Jazz forward, unable to compete. Markkanen continues to be sidelined due to a shoulder impingement, as the Deseret News’ Sarah Todd previously reported.
Without Markkanen, Finland is seen as an underdog in the race for an Olympic spot. The Finnish team is trying to make its first Olympic appearance since 1964.
“Finland will desperately miss Lauri Markkanen and his ability to take over games in various ways, meaning the rest of the squad will have to step up,” the Olympic qualifying tournament Spain website said in previewing Group B.
“Finland showed at the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 Qualifiers in February 2024 what they are without Markkanen: falling apart in the second half and losing to Serbia on the road by 16 points and then needing to fight back from 17 points down to beat Denmark 89-85 at home.”
Group A
Group B
Little and Finland’s first qualifying tournament game will come against a Bahamas team filled with NBA players.
Portland Trail Blazers center Deandre Ayton helps anchor the post for the Bahamas, while guards Eric Gordon and Buddy Hield, both now teammates with the Philadelphia 76ers, are expected to carry a strong scoring load.
There are a couple other names for Utahns to know from the Bahamas team: Point guard Deyton Albury will play at Utah State this season after transferring from Queens University of Charlotte (North Carolina), while forward VJ Edgecombe is a freshman five-star talent who joins Baylor this season.
Tuesday
Finland vs. Bahamas (Group B), 9:30 a.m. MT
Lebanon vs. Spain (Group A), 12:30 p.m. MT
Wednesday
Bahamas vs. Poland (Group B), 9:30 a.m. MT
Spain vs. Angola (Group A), 12:30 p.m. MT
Thursday
Angola vs. Lebanon (Group A), 9:30 a.m. MT
Poland vs. Finland (Group B), 12:30 p.m. MT
Saturday
Semifinal No. 1, TBD
Semifinal No. 2, TBD
Sunday
Championship, TBD, 12:30 p.m. MT
All games will be streamed live on Courtside 1891, though a paid subscription is required to watch games live — Max-OQT Pass for all Olympic qualifying tournament games costs $19.31.
Courtside 1891 also offers a free account, where users have access to highlights and a 10-minute condensed version of the game after the contest.
