Hometown hero Green ready for another stage
Very few athletes get the opportunity to be a genuine hometown hero, and experience a championship with their community.
UNI sophomore guard AJ Green has already treated Cedar Falls, Iowa, with his memorable prep career. Now, Green is poised to lead his local university to a possible league title - and perhaps another defining run into the mystique of March Madness.
Green is an emerging star on the college hoops landscape, but has already cemented his legacy around Cedar Falls.
He led Cedar Falls High to the 2018 state basketball championship, and is the school’s all-time scoring leader. The high school is about a 15-minute walk from the home of UNI basketball and the McLeod Center.
It was no surprise that head coach Ben Jacobson was able to land the prized recruit in 2018. Green’s father, Kyle, has been an assistant coach at UNI for 15 seasons, spanning three separate tenures. He’s now in his third season as the Panthers’ Associate Head Coach.
Green certainly made an immediate impact, averaging 15 points and setting a Panthers freshman scoring record last season.
“AJ's first year was a lot of fun, and he was adjusting to the college game. He’s evolved his game a lot this offseason,” said senior guard Spencer Haldeman said.
The 6-4 guard also had 71 made 3s and was named the MVC Freshman of the Year. Green is on the Preseason All-MVC First Team this season.
UNI was selected to finish third in the MVC Preseason Poll. The Panthers were 16-18 last season and 9-9 in the Valley. However, they were a handful of plays away from winning the State Farm MVC Tournament.
As the No. 6-seed, UNI defeated Southern Illinois, 61-58, and second-seeded Drake, 60-58. UNI had a sizable first-half lead against Bradley in the MVC Championship game, but lost the Arch Madness title, 57-54, despite Green’s 23 points.
“It definitely took a while to get over. Nobody really is still over it, it’s always going to be there in our mind until we get past that point,” said Green. “Everyone has been using that as motivation in the offseason, and will continue to do that throughout the year.”
It was not yet Green’s time to again emerge as the hero. He very well could get that chance this season. After all, it was 10 seasons ago that the Panthers landed in the Sweet Sixteen. That storied March run included a victory over No. 1-seed Kansas.
Jacobson has a very good returning team this season to complement Green. He has three other returning starters, and two other players that can also start.
Junior guard Trae Berhow averaged 7.7 points and 6.1 rebounds last season and shot 40 percent from 3-point range. Also returning are 6-9 senior forward Luke McDonnell (7.5 ppg), senior 6-7 guard Isaiah Brown (7.3 ppg) and Haldeman (7.5 ppg).
Haldeman had 51 3s last season and earned MVC Sixth Man of the Year honors, along with Bradley’s Nate Kennell. Brown was named to the all-MVC Defensive Team.
Another factor that could make this a special Panthers season is the return of redshirt sophomore 6-9 forward Austin Phyfe. He’s back after missing last season because of a serious illness that caused fainting spells.
“Austin is doing great. He’s close to being back where he was as a player but, more importantly, as a young guy,” said Jacobson. “He’s a happy kid, always smiling and has a bounce in his step. And that had went away last year.”
Brown added: “Being able to play inside-out through Austin will help us a lot. Anytime he’s one-on-one in the post, he can do pretty much whatever he wants.”
The Panthers went to Italy over the summer, playing three games and enjoying touring some of Europe’s historical sights.
“We just spent time together, walking around Rome; we were able to see the Coliseum, go to the Vatican, as a team. That time was extremely valuable,” said Jacobson. “We feel like we know each other better, and that’s huge for our chemistry moving forward.”
Haldeman added: “It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a lot of us, and we got to enjoy it with our teammates which is pretty cool.”
Brown said “I’ve never really traveled at all before besides for basketball. Just the experience of being able to go out of the country and see some historical things was a great experience.”
Jacobson, in his 14th season, has a career mark of 266-168 at UNI. His win total is fifth all-time in the Valley.
“I still love the way we go about things here. Getting to know the guys, their families. I’m in a great place,” said Jacobson.
UNI opens its season at home against Old Dominion on Nov. 5. They begin the Valley season on Dec. 31 at Illinois State.
(Writer and MVC Contributor Brian Doolittle is based in St. Louis. He can be reached at briandoolittle1973@gmail.com)