Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
"He's always ready" - Tre Green makes the most of his opportunities
1/20/2025 12:37:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The reserve guard has found a niche as a three-and-D option for Middle Tennessee Men's Basketball
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — On a team with four players averaging in double figures scoring, all of whom, from Jestin Porter to Camryn Weston to Essam Mostafa to Jlynn Counter, scored at least 11 points in Middle Tennessee men's basketball's 71-57 win over Western Kentucky on Saturday, praise is easily spread around.
But there's one player that Head Coach Nick McDevitt wants to make sure he highlights, night after night, as someone helping the Blue Raiders start CUSA play 4-1.
"He's a big part of what we're doing right now, why we're winning," McDevitt said of reserve guard Tre Green, who scored six points against the Hilltoppers with a pair of threes, but also nearly led MTSU in plus/minus (+16, just one behind Justin Bufford) in just 17 minutes off the bench. "You've got to have that core group of guys, that stability. He provides it."
You'd be forgiven for not keeping track of Green after his first season in the Blue and White. The 6-foot-3 guard from Baltimore, Md. didn't have much to write home about after his first season in Murfreesboro in 2023, appearing in just eight games for the Blue Raiders and making just one shot as a freshman, a layup in the closing seconds of MTSU's season opening win against Brescia. Many players in the transfer portal era might've looked for new opportunities, but not Green. He said he came to Murfreesboro for a reason.
"I came in first year behind a bunch of seniors, juniors, guys that are older than me," Green said. "I feel like I used that as a learning opportunity. I can't just have that year and then mess up my whole mentality."
Green would miss the next four shots he took in the 2022-23 season. Then, he'd miss his first 16 shots of the 2023-24 season across nine games, before finally making his first shot against Division I competition, a three-pointer at Murray State. But since that three fell against the Racers, Green has become a bigger part of what Middle Tennessee is doing on the court.
Green finished the 2023-24 season shooting 39 percent from three in CUSA play, including a 6-for-8 night at New Mexico State last season, where he scored a career-high 18 points. Green said he knows that he's not the first guy the Blue Raiders' opponents scout, so he tries to find shots in the "right position (and) right time", shots that are often catch and shoot off his teammate's set-up or the occasional out of bounds play. It's been a successful formula so far this season: Green is shooting 50 percent beyond the arc (14-for-28).
But what really makes an impact for the Blue Raiders when Green is on the court? McDevitt said it's the willingness to play defense, with Green often tasked to lock up one of the opponent's leading scorers when he's in the game.
"He's ready to go in particularly at the end of games and guard people," McDevitt said after Green scored nine points against Kennesaw State earlier this season. "He's a strong, physical guy. So, he's ready to fight through ball screens and pin downs and things like that when the other team is trying to get the ball in their best offensive player's hands."
McDevitt pointed out that it's not just guards that Green has to tail, but often forwards, as Green will sometimes slot into the lineup as a small ball three that can switch onto a four depending on the defensive scheme. It's not flashy defensive work, Green's four steals this season are just tied for seventh with Jacob Johnson among all Blue Raiders. But that physical work on the defensive end doesn't go unnoticed by his teammates.
"He's ready, he's always ready," Essam Mostafa said of Green. "It's not the first time he's done it. Every time he gets on the court, he hits a three, he plays good defense."
Green said that on a team where the three other guards in rotation with him are all seniors, he still feels like the young guy in the room he was a freshman, soaking up wisdom from the older players, something that's helped him develop as a player in his three years in Murfreesboro. And while the guard is only ninth on the team in minutes through the first few weeks of conference play, McDevitt says the minutes Green are on the court shows why his development has been so critical to MTSU's success.
"No matter whether you're playing two minutes or 38 minutes, be ready to go in and impact the game," McDevitt said. "I think he epitomizes that."
But there's one player that Head Coach Nick McDevitt wants to make sure he highlights, night after night, as someone helping the Blue Raiders start CUSA play 4-1.
"He's a big part of what we're doing right now, why we're winning," McDevitt said of reserve guard Tre Green, who scored six points against the Hilltoppers with a pair of threes, but also nearly led MTSU in plus/minus (+16, just one behind Justin Bufford) in just 17 minutes off the bench. "You've got to have that core group of guys, that stability. He provides it."
You'd be forgiven for not keeping track of Green after his first season in the Blue and White. The 6-foot-3 guard from Baltimore, Md. didn't have much to write home about after his first season in Murfreesboro in 2023, appearing in just eight games for the Blue Raiders and making just one shot as a freshman, a layup in the closing seconds of MTSU's season opening win against Brescia. Many players in the transfer portal era might've looked for new opportunities, but not Green. He said he came to Murfreesboro for a reason.
"I came in first year behind a bunch of seniors, juniors, guys that are older than me," Green said. "I feel like I used that as a learning opportunity. I can't just have that year and then mess up my whole mentality."
Green would miss the next four shots he took in the 2022-23 season. Then, he'd miss his first 16 shots of the 2023-24 season across nine games, before finally making his first shot against Division I competition, a three-pointer at Murray State. But since that three fell against the Racers, Green has become a bigger part of what Middle Tennessee is doing on the court.
Green finished the 2023-24 season shooting 39 percent from three in CUSA play, including a 6-for-8 night at New Mexico State last season, where he scored a career-high 18 points. Green said he knows that he's not the first guy the Blue Raiders' opponents scout, so he tries to find shots in the "right position (and) right time", shots that are often catch and shoot off his teammate's set-up or the occasional out of bounds play. It's been a successful formula so far this season: Green is shooting 50 percent beyond the arc (14-for-28).
But what really makes an impact for the Blue Raiders when Green is on the court? McDevitt said it's the willingness to play defense, with Green often tasked to lock up one of the opponent's leading scorers when he's in the game.
"He's ready to go in particularly at the end of games and guard people," McDevitt said after Green scored nine points against Kennesaw State earlier this season. "He's a strong, physical guy. So, he's ready to fight through ball screens and pin downs and things like that when the other team is trying to get the ball in their best offensive player's hands."
McDevitt pointed out that it's not just guards that Green has to tail, but often forwards, as Green will sometimes slot into the lineup as a small ball three that can switch onto a four depending on the defensive scheme. It's not flashy defensive work, Green's four steals this season are just tied for seventh with Jacob Johnson among all Blue Raiders. But that physical work on the defensive end doesn't go unnoticed by his teammates.
"He's ready, he's always ready," Essam Mostafa said of Green. "It's not the first time he's done it. Every time he gets on the court, he hits a three, he plays good defense."
Green said that on a team where the three other guards in rotation with him are all seniors, he still feels like the young guy in the room he was a freshman, soaking up wisdom from the older players, something that's helped him develop as a player in his three years in Murfreesboro. And while the guard is only ninth on the team in minutes through the first few weeks of conference play, McDevitt says the minutes Green are on the court shows why his development has been so critical to MTSU's success.
"No matter whether you're playing two minutes or 38 minutes, be ready to go in and impact the game," McDevitt said. "I think he epitomizes that."
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