Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Green has shot at 1,000 with family watching
12/6/2018 4:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – With two outstanding offensive displays and a career goal within reach, Antonio Green should never forget his 2018 birthday week.
The junior guard turned 22 on Monday, two days prior to Middle Tennessee's game at Vanderbilt and two days after dropping a career-high 30 points against Lipscomb.
Against the Commodores, Green poured in a team-high 18 points in a loss, his seventh time leading the team in scoring this season in nine games.
While the Blue Raiders couldn't get a win in either matchup, Green inched closer to a career milestone with what he considers his "Birthday Game" coming on Saturday.
He currently sits at 997 points for his collegiate career, one long-distance make from reaching the 1,000-point plateau. Green came to Middle Tennessee with 823 scored in two years at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in the Western Athletic Conference.
Not only will he get a shot at becoming a 1,000-point scorer when the Murray State Racers travel to Murfreesboro on Saturday, but he'll also be able to do it in front of his family.
A Tupelo, Mississippi native, Green accepted his only offer out of high school, 968 miles away at UTRGV. The distance made it tough for his family to see him play in his first two years, but transferring to MT has changed that. The distance from Tupelo to Murfreesboro is a tick under four hours, and on Saturday, his mom, daughter and other family members will make the trip to see him don a Blue Raiders uniform for the first time in person.
"It'll be the first time they'll watch me play in like 700 days, so that'll be cool for them and cool for me," Green said. "This week could be a lot for me … it'll be great being able to see them after the game. That's what I came here for."
Green carries his family with him every time he puts on the blue and white Middle Tennessee jersey.
He wears No. 55 in honor of his brother, the late Terrence Thompson, who was shot to death in Memphis in February of 2016 at just 20 years old. Thompson's birthday was May 5.
"That's why I have the big number," Green said. "I want to continue to represent my brother's name and legacy in a positive manner."
The tragedy was one of the reasons Green decided to transfer from UTRGV, so he could be closer to his mother, Tiffany McClain, who raised him as a single mom. He also has a 4-year-old daughter, Azyla Marie.
"I went [to UTRGV] and made the most of my opportunity," Green said. "My main reason for leaving was to get closer to my mom and daughter. It had nothing to do with the team or the school. I'm really thankful for the Valley and what they did for me."
Green has showed this season why former Middle Tennessee head coach Kermit Davis wanted to bring the sharp-shooting guard to Murfreesboro, and why new head coach Nick McDevitt wanted to keep him on the roster.
The NCAA transfer rule forced Green to sit out last season, and he took advantage by working on his craft. His hard work is evident in his team-high 19.3 points per game, and he's currently third in Conference USA in 3-pointers made (26) and sixth 3-point percentage (.342). He's also grabbing 4.2 rebounds per contest.
"I've always been able to shoot, but since I've been in college, I've gotten my reps up a lot and picked up my work ethic, and that pays off," he said. "I've been in college for four years, and I've had four different head coaches, so it's not anything I'm not used to. I like the way McDevitt plays … it's fast and he doesn't mind shooting threes."
With a new coaching staff and a roster that suffered serious turnover, the Blue Raiders have gone through some growing pains in the first portion of the season.
Green has been a consistent offensive force, though, and there's no reason to expect that to stop, especially this weekend with his family in the stands.
The birthday boy should have a day to remember on Dec. 8.
"I'm a big numbers person, so I keep up with a lot of stuff and know what's going on," Green said. "Coming from where I come from, not a lot of people get an opportunity to play Division I basketball, let alone scoring 1,000 points. That's something I'm really thankful for."
Josh Vardaman is the staff writer for goblueraiders.com. Follow him on Twitter @J_Vardaman and also follow @MTAthletics for more on the Blue Raiders.
The junior guard turned 22 on Monday, two days prior to Middle Tennessee's game at Vanderbilt and two days after dropping a career-high 30 points against Lipscomb.
Against the Commodores, Green poured in a team-high 18 points in a loss, his seventh time leading the team in scoring this season in nine games.
While the Blue Raiders couldn't get a win in either matchup, Green inched closer to a career milestone with what he considers his "Birthday Game" coming on Saturday.
He currently sits at 997 points for his collegiate career, one long-distance make from reaching the 1,000-point plateau. Green came to Middle Tennessee with 823 scored in two years at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in the Western Athletic Conference.
Not only will he get a shot at becoming a 1,000-point scorer when the Murray State Racers travel to Murfreesboro on Saturday, but he'll also be able to do it in front of his family.
A Tupelo, Mississippi native, Green accepted his only offer out of high school, 968 miles away at UTRGV. The distance made it tough for his family to see him play in his first two years, but transferring to MT has changed that. The distance from Tupelo to Murfreesboro is a tick under four hours, and on Saturday, his mom, daughter and other family members will make the trip to see him don a Blue Raiders uniform for the first time in person.
"It'll be the first time they'll watch me play in like 700 days, so that'll be cool for them and cool for me," Green said. "This week could be a lot for me … it'll be great being able to see them after the game. That's what I came here for."
Green carries his family with him every time he puts on the blue and white Middle Tennessee jersey.
He wears No. 55 in honor of his brother, the late Terrence Thompson, who was shot to death in Memphis in February of 2016 at just 20 years old. Thompson's birthday was May 5.
"That's why I have the big number," Green said. "I want to continue to represent my brother's name and legacy in a positive manner."
The tragedy was one of the reasons Green decided to transfer from UTRGV, so he could be closer to his mother, Tiffany McClain, who raised him as a single mom. He also has a 4-year-old daughter, Azyla Marie.
"I went [to UTRGV] and made the most of my opportunity," Green said. "My main reason for leaving was to get closer to my mom and daughter. It had nothing to do with the team or the school. I'm really thankful for the Valley and what they did for me."
Green has showed this season why former Middle Tennessee head coach Kermit Davis wanted to bring the sharp-shooting guard to Murfreesboro, and why new head coach Nick McDevitt wanted to keep him on the roster.
The NCAA transfer rule forced Green to sit out last season, and he took advantage by working on his craft. His hard work is evident in his team-high 19.3 points per game, and he's currently third in Conference USA in 3-pointers made (26) and sixth 3-point percentage (.342). He's also grabbing 4.2 rebounds per contest.
"I've always been able to shoot, but since I've been in college, I've gotten my reps up a lot and picked up my work ethic, and that pays off," he said. "I've been in college for four years, and I've had four different head coaches, so it's not anything I'm not used to. I like the way McDevitt plays … it's fast and he doesn't mind shooting threes."
With a new coaching staff and a roster that suffered serious turnover, the Blue Raiders have gone through some growing pains in the first portion of the season.
Green has been a consistent offensive force, though, and there's no reason to expect that to stop, especially this weekend with his family in the stands.
The birthday boy should have a day to remember on Dec. 8.
"I'm a big numbers person, so I keep up with a lot of stuff and know what's going on," Green said. "Coming from where I come from, not a lot of people get an opportunity to play Division I basketball, let alone scoring 1,000 points. That's something I'm really thankful for."
Josh Vardaman is the staff writer for goblueraiders.com. Follow him on Twitter @J_Vardaman and also follow @MTAthletics for more on the Blue Raiders.
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