From Westlane to the West Side, the Emmanuel Little-Mateo Rivera bond runs deep

EVANSVILLE -- Emmanuel Little remembers his first day of eighth grade basketball practice at Westlane Middle School in Indianapolis. He had played for fun but this was a whole new competitive experience at the school level. 

When Little walked into the Wildcats' gym, a player that caught his attention. A guy who appeared so far ahead of his teammates both in skill and work ethic.

That first impression of Mateo Rivera was enough to make Little even more eager to step on the court.

The University of Southern Indiana men's basketball duo has achieved countless accolades and successful seasons, all while playing together on the same court for nearly the past decade across three different levels. 

Victory:How the Screaming Eagles beat UIndy

Defeat:Turnovers, lack of offense doom USI against UIndy

"That's my guy through thick and thin," Rivera said about his bond with Little. "We had our ups and downs through high school. We've been through war together. It's a good feeling knowing that wherever I go, there's always been a familiar face there to have my back." 

The pair have come a long way since their days of being just classmates at Spring Mill Elementary. Their first true taste of basketball success came at North Central High School in Indianapolis, a basketball powerhouse.

During their time with the Panthers, they achieved a 77-22 record over four years with two sectional championships. A tough task to achieve in what many consider the state's strongest conference (Metropolitan) and sectional (No. 10 in Class 4A).

"We didn’t really lose a lot during regular season in high school. Winning all the time was just fun," Little said. "We always seemed to have a target on our backs. It's almost the same as it is now."

Little averaged 15 points and 8 rebounds as a senior while being an honorable mention all-state by the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association. Rivera averaged 13 points, 3.8 assists and 3 rebounds and was an all-state "Supreme Team" selection his senior year.

Sure, those honors were great. But that's not what Rivera remembers the most from his North Central days.

"I still remember that we didn't win a state championship," Rivera said with a laugh. "Still to this day, that's what sticks with me the most."

That competitive mindset helped guide the pair on a path to playing college basketball together at USI. 

Little recalls being initially recruited by the Eagles during his junior season with the Panthers. Assistant coach Kevin Gant, who played on the 2007 state runner-up North Central team and later coached on the staff, told former head coach Rodney Watson about Little and shortly after he later received an offer.

Rivera had to wait a little longer. He didn't officially receive an offer until his senior year was finished. USI was one of the first schools that reached out, gave him an offer and brought him in for an official visit.

While he ended up going on his campus tour with Little, the duo committed at different times. In fact, neither Rivera nor Little knew they were going to be playing together until the announcements were released.

"When I found out (Rivera) committed to USI, I was kind of surprised. I thought he had other offers. We didn't really talk about any of our decisions together," Little said. "I was very surprised but happy at the same time. It's cool to see how far along we've gotten." 

Even though the decision wasn't made together, Rivera almost could feel that their days of playing together weren't going to come to an end at the high school level. 

When they found out that journey would continue on the West Side of Evansville, they could feel big things coming . Just call it a little bit of intuition.  

"We knew it was going to be something special when we came down here," Rivera said. "We're a dynamic duo. I always felt that playing with him. I know his game like the back of my hand and he knows mine." 

Now in their senior seasons, the duo's USI is close to its final chapter. From a Division II Final Four run in 2019 to earning accomplishments such as all-conference and even preseason All-American like Little did this season, they've left their mark on the program.

But both players say their career at USI won't be remembered quite the same if they don't finish it off with the ultimate goal -- a national championship. An objective that has been a top priority since their first day of practice in a red, white and blue uniform.

"Every day, we just expect greatness out of each other because our only goal is to win a national championship," Rivera said. "We have to get out of our comfort zone, take some risks and lead this team. We hold each other to the highest standard every single day." 

Contact Courier & Press sports reporter Hendrix Magley via email at hendrix.magley@courierpress.com or via Twitter @TweetsOfHendrix.

USI returns to the road this week

Who: University of Southern Indiana (5-3) at Lewis (6-4) on Thursday, at Illinois-Springfield (5-4) on Saturday

When: Thursday's game starts at approximately 7:30 p.m., Saturday's at 3:15 p.m.

Broadcast: The games can be streamed online with the Great Lakes Valley Conference Sports Network (glvcsn.com) or listened to on the radio on ESPN 97.7 The REF. 

USI women return: The USI women's basketball team will return to action Thursday for the first time since Jan. 3 after COVID-related delays. The Eagles are ranked No. 14 in the Division II Media Poll. Both games on Thursday and Saturday will be doubleheaders with the women playing first.