While the bulk of Chipola (Fla.) Junior College’s players won’t sign until the spring, one of its top returnees is moving quickly with his recruitment. Mario Little, a native of the Chicago area in his second season under coach Greg Heiar will begin the visitation process this weekend.

The Kansas Jayhawks kick things off with a Sept. 8 visit weekend. Kansas State’s trip is the following weekend and Illinois has slated its visit for the final weekend in September.

“Those are the three schools he’ll choose between,” Heiar said. “Nobody else is even in the picture and that’s who he’ll consider at this time. I would say what’s important to Mario is going to a place where he’s going to be able to make a difference and where the coaching staff is going to continue to develop his game so he has a chance for the next level.

“There’s an aspect of trust that is involved in Mario’s decision. When I recruited him he was the most difficult young man to get here to Chipola. He was about trust and making sure it was the right place. That’s what’s important to him. Obviously you can’t go wrong with either one of those three programs. I think he’s going to have a difficult decision in the end.”

Last season, Little averaged 10 points and 6 rebounds in 21 minutes of action. Heiar believes that Little has a shot at becoming one of the top scorers to play at Chipola during the coach’s tenure.

At Chipola, Little’s been exposed to different positions on the floor. As he moves up another level at a high-major program he’ll be able to draw upon experiences from different slots on the floor. “He really developed from his freshman to his sophomore year,” Heiar said. “He’s 6-foot-5 and 210 pounds. He’s going to be a 3 for us but last year played some 4-3 for us. He can score, post up, drive it and handle it. He’ll finish around the rim.”