City of Basketball Love

Andrew Robinson (@ADRobinson3)
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Some people just look good in certain colors.

Sanyiah Littlejohn figured out her best colors are green and gold, having seen plenty of success wearing those colors through three years at Lansdale Catholic. George Mason’s colors are green and gold too and thanks to a year-long process, Littlejohn decided it might not be a bad idea to stay in those colors at the next level as well.

The LC rising senior announced her decision to join the Patriots, finding not only did the colors fit, but so did a whole lot more.

“I just thought of it off the back like that, LC’s colors are green and gold, George Mason’s green and gold,” Littlejohn said. “It just fit.”

George Mason was the second program to offer Littlejohn a Division I scholarship, the Patriots extending the invitation late last September, and their interest never waned. Even as she added a few more offers to her slate and time passed on, Littlejohn kept seeing the green and gold at her games but not just from the LC fans.

The fact that the GMU staff was regularly coming to see her said a lot to Littlejohn. She knew they could have moved on to someone else or read her waiting things out as a sign she wasn’t interested but they saw something in the 5-foot-9 guard and that meant plenty.

“That was a big part of choosing Mason, because they’ve been loyal,” Littlejohn said. “They’ve been very patient with me. Some people would have taken it as I wasn’t interested but seeing them at my games, it was really important because it showed how invested they were in me.”

Playing at the next level has been a goal Littlejohn has harbored since middle school. She grew up playing against boys so when she first made the switch to organized girls’ basketball, she already felt like she had a leg up and made it a mission to play in college and then professionally.

A three-year starter for Eric Gidney at Lansdale Catholic, Littlejohn has evolved from a pesky perimeter stopper to a two-way impact player as she heads into her senior year. As a freshman, she was part of a young LC team that was the surprise of the PCL and made its first appearance in a PIAA title game, losing the 4A final to rival Archbishop Wood.

The next year, she played a strong supporting role on the Gabby Casey-led triple crown team that captured the program’s first PCL title, a District 12 4A title and LC’s first state championship in girls’ basketball with the 4A crown in a win over Blackhawk. Last season, with Casey and Jaida Helm gone and a couple new pieces in, the Crusaders weren’t able to replicate their success and missed out on states.

That served as plenty of motivation this summer as she hit the GUAA circuit as part of a strong Books and Basketball Academy 17U roster.

“It definitely gave more exposure and my teammates and coaches were really supportive,” Littlejohn said.

BBA certainly had plenty of college coaches watching and Littlejohn consistently performed well. Relationships are a big thing for the point guard and while she built good ones with the coaching staffs at Fordham and Monmouth, listing those two as the other main contenders for her future home, there was something extra about the team in green and gold.

George Mason went 23-8 in Vanessa Blair-Lewis’ third season leading the program, the Patriots finishing fourth in the A-10 and earning a bid to the inaugural WBIT, all significant improvements from 2022-23. The results were certainly a draw but Littlejohn wanted an idea of how she’d fit in and a trip to Virginia told her everything she needed to know.

“They’ve been recruiting me for about a year now and I felt like it was the right spot for me,” Littlejohn said. “They never backed off and when I went on a visit and got to see how they work, I felt they were very authentic. I felt at home, all the girls that would be my teammates, I felt comfortable around them so after the second live period, I decided to commit.”

The Patriots also checked off a couple other important boxes on and off the court. A player that thrives in the open floor, breaking down defenders and attacking the basket, Littlejohn said George Mason’s high-tempo style – the Patriots averaged 71.1 ppg last season – felt like a good match for her skills.

“I didn’t want to be anywhere that I would be forced to play outside my style of play,” Littlejohn said. “Aside from that, it was mostly the relationship aspect with teammates and coaches. Size and location, that wasn’t a big part of it but the last thing I looked for was my major.”

One area the GMU coaches felt Littlejohn could improve on is her shooting, something the guard readily agreed with, and as a playmaker for her teammates. Any time the Patriots coaches gave her feedback, she could see the growth they envisioned was yet to come.

“They’re committed to making me a better player all around and bringing out even more things that I’ve not shown,” Littlejohn said. “I’m ready for the process of what’s to come in the next four years with George Mason.”

Littlejohn has one more year in her current green and gold to go first and there’s plenty of motivation for her, along with the rest of her Lansdale Catholic teammates, to make up for last season. 

“I’m ready to make something of this last season, I’m committed now so I’m ready to get out there and hoop,” Littlejohn said. “I want to bring home the three titles: the PCL ‘chip, district and states again.”