SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The UC Santa Barbara men's basketball program is being represented on the international stage, with three Gauchos representing their respective countries. Current standout Miro Little and former Gauchos James Nunnally and Kenny Pohto are suiting up for the FIBA World Cup Qualifying Games.
 
Little is representing Finland, Nunnally is competing with the United States, while Pohto is representing Sweden as each country continues its pursuit of a spot in the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup.
 
Current Gaucho, Little has continued to make his mark with the Finnish national team. The point guard has been a member of Finland's senior national team since making his debut at just 17 years old and was included on Finland's roster for the opening game of the second round of European qualifying against Sweden on Aug. 27.
 
Little's Finland squad opened the second round against former Gaucho Pohto and Sweden in a matchup featuring two players with ties to The Thunderdome. Sweden came away with an 86-81 victory in Helsinki, giving Pohto and the Swedes an important road win to open the second round.
 
Pohto, who played at UCSB before continuing his professional career overseas, is in his first World Cup qualifying campaign with Sweden. The big man was included on Sweden's 12-man roster for the Aug. 27 matchup and remains part of a Swedish team looking to finish among the top three teams in its second-round group and earn a spot in the 2027 World Cup.
 
Meanwhile, former Gaucho standout James Nunnally is back in the red, white and blue. Nunnally was selected to the United States' 12-man roster for the August qualifying window, which includes games against Chile and Colombia. Nunnally previously represented Team USA during the 2021 FIBA AmeriCup Qualifying campaign, appearing in both games during the third window.