The time Ny’Mire Little spent playing basketball at Westtown School helped shape his game and ensured that he would find his place at the University of Albany, writes Abigail Rubel for The Albany (N.Y.) Times Union.

Westtown School basketball coach Seth Berger met Little when he stepped in to coach the then-13-year-old’s team over the summer. In those few months, he saw improvement in Little’s play.

When Little transferred to Westtown in his junior year of high school, Berger saw that the teenager still had the same fighting spirit, and he was prepared to bring it out further and prepare him for college.

“We basically think about our program as half of a college program,” said Berger.

Players practice for around 15 hours each week in stretches of an hour and 45 minutes. During the season, they make sure to practice six days a week. The main goal is not to win, but to see improvement.

For Little, those years and training at Westtown were formative.

“It gets you college-ready,” he said. “It got me more prepared for just learning different reads on a court.”

Read more about Ny’Mire Little in The Albany (N.Y.) Times Union.