Daily Pilot College Athlete of the Month: Jerry Green

Amara Aguilar

Four years ago UC Irvine wasn’t even a blip on the radar of men’s

college basketball along the West Coast, but there was a glimmer of hope

for the program in a young player out of Pomona High named Jerry Green.

The Anteaters went from sixth in the Big West during Green’s first

season on the team in 1998-99 to first in the conference last season.

Green was named the Big West Player of the Year last season and in

tonight’s contest against host Cal State Fullerton he will most likely

become the school’s all-time leading scorer.

“When I first came here, that’s something I wanted to accomplish,”

Green said. “I wanted to leave something I could remember after

graduating. It’s a great honor (to break the record).”

Green tied Tod Murphy’s mark for most career points (1,778) Thursday

by scoring 20 points on the road in a 72-64 victory over UC Riverside.

Setting a scoring record is just one highlight from a memorable senior

year for Green.

On Jan. 10, the Daily Pilot College Athlete of the Month for January

hit a game-winning jumper at the buzzer to hand host Utah State a 67-66

loss that snapped the Aggies’ school record 31-game winning streak at

home in a nationally televised game.

“We really played well and nobody thought we were going to go in there

and do what we did,” Green said. “I didn’t think I was going to get the

ball. I knew they were going to double team me, but the way it happened,

they didn’t double team me and I just went to the core and tried to get

the best shot that I could and I did and it went in.”

Things have been going Green’s way for much of his college career. He

has avoided major injuries and stepped into the spotlight for the

Anteaters (15-6, 8-2), who currently sit atop of the conference

standings.

Although Green has had a successful ride at UCI, there have been some

bumps along the way. Last year, for instance, with a conference

championship and Player of the Year honors under his belt, Green made

himself eligible for the NBA draft. Only problem was, no one picked him.

He returned to UCI with the aim to improve his game even more.

“I focused on being more of a point guard,” Green said. “I play a lot

of two guard and I definitely will not be a two guard in the NBA. Most

two guards in the league like Kobe Bryant are 6-foot-7 or 6-foot-8. I’ll

definitely be a true point guard.”

Green, a 6-foot-3 guard, said this year he has focused on being more

vocal on the court, being able to hit open shots and creating

opportunities for other players to score. He’s hoping that those traits

will help him be a more rounded player and a first-round NBA draft pick

after his senior year at UCI.

“That’s what I’m hoping for and praying for,” Green said. “I’m

believing it. I think it’s going to happen.”

There are still eight conference games left for the Anteaters this

season and the Big West race is tight. UCI is clinging to first by one

game, with Cal State Northridge and Utah State at the Anteaters’ heels,

but Green is still filled with hope for the future.

“I think our chances are good to win the conference,” Green said.

“We’re in a good position right now. We just have to take care of

business. One thing I want to be remembered as is that I went out as a

champion. It’s my senior year. I want to remember that.”

Green gets emotional when he talks about his senior year. He said it’s

special. That it’s gone by so fast and it seems like yesterday when he

signed with UCI. Green said his most memorable moment is hitting the

game-winner against Utah State. He’s also proud that he played a large

part in putting UCI on the map of men’s college basketball.

“It’s just real awesome to see that I was a part of history last year

winning the conference championship and being part of a new program that

really started from nothing and now we are something,” Green said. “I’m

just grateful how everything has turned around and I know in the years to

come it’s going to be even better. I’m glad that I was a part of that

foundation.”