A 6-foot-10-inch freshman walking around campus will standout, but freshman forward Garrett Green must now do what it takes to adjust to his new found playing time and become a standout on the court. With injuries to junior forwards Tasmin Mitchell and Quintin Thornton, Green has gone from potentially redshirting to playing significant minutes for the Tigers. Thornton tore a pectoral muscle prior to the season, and Mitchell went down with a stress fracture after starting the first three games of the season. “I have been really pleased with [Green’s] development, and the more he plays, the better he is going to get,” said LSU basketball coach John Brady. The Woodland Hills, Calif., native played three sports in high school, and averaged 13 points and nine rebounds as a senior at Taft High School. Green said he feels ready to play but would have enjoyed sitting out to gain more experience. “I’m glad to help the team, but at first, I wanted to redshirt because I wanted to get bigger and stronger to be more of an impact player. Now I am just doing what coach ask me to do.” he said. Green is averaging 2.3 points and 2.8 rebounds in 11 minutes a game after sitting out LSU’s first two contests. Green has shown signs of his potential. In 13 minutes of action against the Southern University Jaguars, he grabbed 8 rebounds. “I have been very pleased with [Green], his eagerness to learn, his toughness and his aggressiveness,” Brady said. “His inexperience is going to show up from time to time, but certainly he has the athleticism, the mental toughness and all the physical gifts to be a good player. He’ll get better as this year moves along.” Brady said he is particularly impressed with Green’s willingness to do the small things to be successful. “He plays extremely hard and is extremely coachable,” Brady said. “He is a good screener because he is not afraid of contact, and he has got a nice 15-17 foot jump shot.” At 218 pounds, Green is a bit undersized for his position and Brady believes he needs time to physically mature. “Once he gets another year of the spring and the summer to get to about 230, he is going to be a really efficient player for us,” Brady said. His teammates are also impressed with the way he plays and hustles. “He plays tough and physical,” said senior guard Dameon Mason. “He makes really good moves at times. Once he gets more confident and more adapted to the college basketball game, I think he will be a fine basketball player.” Green said his biggest adjustment to the college game is its pace and structure. “[The difference is] knowing what your doing on the court,” Green said. “Everything you do on the court, you have to do for a reason. You are not just out there running. Everything is precise.” He also said he needs to improve on his overall execution of the gameplan on both ends of the court. “You have to know tons and tons of plays and when to run the plays.” Green said. “[That] is something I am trying to bring to my game right now.” Mason believes this is also an area where Green’s inexperience shows. “[Green] just has to keep his head on straight when it comes to dealing with the plays and knowing his assignments on defense and offense. Once he gets that down he will be fine.” Mason said. Brady believes that Green will become a more complete player as he gains more experience. “[Green] just needs experience and to keep being receptive to coaching and the challenges we are placing upon him,” Brady said. “The more he plays his improvement will certainly show.”
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