BEYOND THE ATHLETE: Chris Green

by Ben Warnick, Assistant Athletics Director

Chris Green from nearby Taunton, might be a quiet, soft spoken kid when you talk to him in person, but his actions on the court have been nothing short of loud since joining the Massasoit men's basketball team this season.

Green, who always seems to be cool and calm under pressure, puts a lot of pressure on himself to not only be a scorer (24.5 ppg) but help with the ball handling duties as well, dishing out nearly two assists for every turnover.

"I put a lot of responsibility on myself to step my game up, but at the same time I want that responsibility," Green said. "There is a lot of pressure I put on myself and I try to make the right decisions every time. I know that I play so much and always have my hands on the ball, that what I do effects the outcome."

Green, a former standout guard at the Taunton High School for four seasons before his collegiate playing days began, took home plenty of accolades including Old Colony MVP as a senior and was a three-time conference all-star. Once he finished lacing them up for Taunton HS, he did some traveling for school, but made his way back near home to play for the Warriors for the 2013-14 campaign.

At Taunton, Green scored 1,253 career points and averaged 24.5 points, five rebounds and four assists per game his senior season, the third highest point average in the state of Massachusetts in 2010-11, his final season at Taunton.

Coincidentally, through six games at Massasoit, Green is also averaging 24.5 points per game and has scored 20-or-more points in five of six games. His points per game average is tops in Region XXI. But, scoring has never been a problem for Green. In 58 of his 62 career high school games he scored in double digits, including all 22 contests as a senior.

Since graduating from Taunton in 2011, Green has seen some different parts of the country. He first went to Bridgton Academy in North Bridgton, Maine, and played prep basketball for the 2011-12 academic year under head coach Whit Lesure.

Green stated that playing at Bridgton Academy made him a more well rounded player and not just a scorer.

"The competition was a lot different (at Bridgton). The players were better and more athletic. I had to adjust my game from always having the ball to playing without it and trusting my teammates more and playing more of a team game," Green said.

Following that opportunity up North, Green headed South to Jacksonville College, a community college located in Jacksonville, Texas. After spending a semester there, Green opted to return back closer to home and play for the Warriors, where he has flourished as the starting shooting guard.

"Coach Stapleton called my Dad and we started talking about playing here at Massasoit for this season. I had met Coach Stapleton a few times and it was close to home and I figured it would be best for me to come and play here. There is more responsibility put on me here both at home and on the court, which is a good thing" Green said.

Hopefully with the relocation back to Massachusetts, Green can continue to play at a high level and elevate the performance of the Warriors for the rest of the season.