A. J. Green (basketball)

A. J. Green (born September 27, 1999) is an American college basketball player for the Northern Iowa Panthers of the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC).

A. J. Green
No. 4 – Northern Iowa Panthers
PositionPoint guard / Shooting guard
LeagueMissouri Valley Conference
Personal information
Born (1999-09-27) September 27, 1999
Cedar Falls, Iowa, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight175 lb (79 kg)
Career information
High schoolCedar Falls (Cedar Falls, Iowa)
CollegeNorthern Iowa (2018–present)
Career highlights and awards

Early life and high school career

Green attended Holmes Junior High School, where he first decided he wanted to play college basketball.[1] He played for Cedar Falls High School on the basketball team as well as the Iowa Barnstormers in AAU play.[2] As a senior, he averaged 26 points per game and became Cedar Falls' all-time leading scorer. He led the team to a state championship with Luke Loughren and Jacob Nelson.[3]

Recruiting

Green was a consensus four-star recruit and was considered the No. 78 player in the 2018 class by ESPN. On August 11, 2017, he committed to play college basketball for Northern Iowa, where his father was a member of the coaching staff. Green became the highest-rated player to ever commit to Northern Iowa and the program's first four-star recruit. He chose the Panthers over offers from Iowa State, Minnesota and Nebraska, among other major programs.[3]

College career

As a freshman, Green averaged 15.1 points per game.[1] However, he struggled with turnovers, with 77 assists to 94 turnovers.[4] Green was named Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Year, becoming the first Northern Iowa player to receive the honor since Seth Tuttle in 2012, as well as Third Team All-MVC.[5] On January 4, 2020, Green scored a career-high 35 points in a 69-64 win over Bradley.[6] He had 34 points on February 8, in a 83-73 win over Drake.[7] On February 12, Green scored 27 points in a 71-63 win over Illinois State and surpassed the 1,000 point threshold.[8] At the conclusion of the regular season, Green was named MVC Player of the Year.[9] He averaged 19.7 points and 3.0 assists per game as a sophomore.[10] Following the season Green declared for the 2020 NBA draft.[11] However, on July 30, 2020, he withdrew from the draft and decided to return to Northern Iowa for his junior season.[12]

On December 13, 2020, Panthers head coach Ben Jacobson announced that Green would undergo hip surgery and miss the remainder of the 2020–21 season. He only appeared in 3 games, averaging 22.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game.[13]

Personal life

Green's father, Kyle Green, is an associate head basketball coach for Northern Iowa. Kyle played NCAA Division III basketball for Hamline University before spending one season professionally in Denmark, where he also began his coaching career.[1] Green's mother, Michele, played basketball for Hamline and is a chiropractor. Green's younger sister, Emerson, plays basketball for Cedar Falls High School and is committed to Northern Iowa.[14]

References
  1. Potter, Jacob (November 21, 2019). "Father-son bond– A.J. Green's dream to play under his dad". The Northern Iowan. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  2. Southard, Dargan (July 13, 2017). "Inside top-100 guard AJ Green's unique recruiting process". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved February 15, 2020.
  3. Southard, Dargan (October 17, 2018). "AJ Green ready to handle hype, expectations ahead of freshman season". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  4. Petaros, Nick (October 18, 2019). "UNI basketball: Battle-tested Panthers must embrace the fight". Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier. Retrieved February 15, 2020.
  5. Southard, Dargan (March 5, 2019). "UNI basketball: AJ Green named Missouri Valley Conference freshman of the year". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved February 15, 2020.
  6. Southard, Dargan (January 17, 2020). "'Appreciate what he's doing': UNI's AJ Green showcasing offensive prowess rarely seen in MVC". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved February 15, 2020.
  7. Petaros, Nick (February 11, 2020). "Green approaches 1,000-point milestone". Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier. Retrieved February 15, 2020.
  8. Petaros, Nick (February 12, 2020). "Northern Iowa's A.J. Green scores 1,000th point in win over Illinois State". Sioux City Journal. Retrieved February 15, 2020.
  9. Coleman, Rick (March 3, 2020). "UNI's AJ Green wins MVC Player of the year". KWWL. Retrieved March 4, 2020.
  10. Gleeson, Scott (March 2, 2020). "NCAA men's tournament primer: Everything you need to know to prepare for March Madness". USA Today. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  11. Southard, Dargan (April 25, 2020). "UNI basketball: AJ Green declares for 2020 NBA Draft, leaves door open for college return". Des Moines Register. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  12. "AJ Green Withdraws From 2020 NBA Draft". UNIPanthers.com. July 30, 2020. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
  13. Bain, Matthew (December 13, 2020). "UNI point guard AJ Green will undergo season-ending hip surgery". Des Moines Register. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
  14. Bair, Cole (December 31, 2019). "UNI's AJ Green has basketball in his blood". The Gazette. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
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