Jeff Green
From Hoopedia
 Green playing for the Celtics. | ||
| No. 8 - Boston Celtics | ||
|---|---|---|
| Power forward / Small forward | ||
| Personal information | ||
| Date of birth: August 28, 1986 | ||
| Place of birth: Cheverly, Maryland | ||
| Height: 6 ft 9 in | Weight: 235 lbs | |
| Career information | ||
| College: Georgetown | ||
| NBA Draft: 2007 / Round: 1 / Pick: 5th Seattle SuperSonics | ||
| Debuted in 2007 for the Boston Celtics | ||
| Career history | ||
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| Career highlights and awards | ||
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Jeffrey "Jeff" Lynn Green (born August 28, 1986) is an American professional basketball player who plays at Power forward / Small forward.
Contents |
Background
Jeff Green was born in in Cheverly, Maryland to Jeffrey Green Sr. and Felicia Akingube. He attended Northwestern High School in Hyattsville, Maryland, where he led the NHS Wildcats to the state basketball championship in 2004. He was selected as the 5th pick in the 2007 NBA Draft.
Green was successfully recruited by Georgetown University coach Craig Esherick in 2003. However, Esherick was fired before Green arrived on campus (Esherick's last season as coach went 13-15). John Thompson III was hired as the new coach. Ironically, the two key recruits of Esherick's tenure, Green and center Roy Hibbert, would be the key components of Thompson's future success.
Key Attributes
At 6'10" and 235 pounds, Green plays forward under Coach John Thompson III. He is the captain of the squad. Thompson has stated in a Sports Illustrated interview: "You'll stop and think when I say this, but it's true: Jeff Green is the funniest player I've ever coached. You would know this better than most: that's a hell of a statement." Green has evidently mastered the Princeton Offense, which Thompson learned and implemented during his tenure as player, assistant coach and then head coach of the Princeton University basketball team.
Green was perhaps the key player in then-unranked Georgetown's monumental upset victory over top-ranked and undefeated Duke University in 2006. Numerous quotes from teammates have attested to Green's calm yet disciplined demeanor, and his ability to focus not only himself but the other players on his team.
Despite his Hip Hop style, Green has established himself as a player who can be counted on to hit important shots at the end of close games. During the 2006-2007 season, Green hit 7 game-winning shots in the final seconds of games. The most notable of these was his game-winning shot against Vanderbilt in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament. With the Hoyas down one, Green squeezed past a double-team and hit a difficult shot with 2.5 seconds left in the game. Some observers claimed that Green traveled on the play, but the officials stated that Green's move was legal.
Green's greatest strength as a player is his versatility--he is equally effective in defense and offense, and is good under pressure. This has made him an ideal asset for Coach Thompson's Princeton offense, a complicated strategy involving movement and flexibility. Green's weaknesses are streaky shooting, and that he can sometimes be unselfish to a fault, perhaps due to his younger years spent living in a homeless shelter, which gave him a worldliness and understanding few children get.
Honors
Jeff Green won the 2005 Big East Rookie of the Year award along with Rudy Gay of the University of Connecticut. In addition, Green was named to the All-Big East Second Team in 2006 along with teammate Roy Hibbert. In 2007, Green and teammate Roy Hibbert were unanimous selections to the All-Big East First Team. After his 30-point performance in the 2007 Big East Tournament Semi-final against Notre Dame and his 21-point performance in the Championship against the University of Pittsburgh, Green was also named Most Outstanding Player of the 2007 Big East Tournament as the Hoyas went on to claim their first Big East title since 1989.
Future
On June 28, 2007, Green was taken 5th overall in the 2007 NBA Draft by the Seattle SuperSonics who had acquired the pick in a trade that sent veteran guard Ray Allen to the Boston Celtics in exchange for Wally Szczerbiak, Delonte West, and the 5th overall pick. Since the deal was not made prior to the 2 pm deadline, the Celtics chose Green for the Sonics' fifth overall pick.
