Four-star guard commits to Stanford

LAS VEGAS - The 2007 Rivals.com Summer Showcase presented by Vision Sports didn't take long to offer some big news. Houston Hoops shooting guard Jeremy Green, the 70th ranked prospect in the 2008 class, has revealed exclusively to Rivals.com that he's committed to Stanford.

Green, 6-foot-4 and 190 pounds out of Austin (Texas) Bowie High School, had offers from Virginia, Baylor, Washington State, Oregon, Arizona State, Colorado and LSU, but after unofficially visiting Stanford last Thursday, he knew where he wanted to go to college.

"It was the prestige of the academics; they're the No. 1 academic school," Green said of the reason he committed. "Also, the vibe I got from the coaching staff. They seemed like they were really genuine. They were really honest with me and I felt like they would take care of me as a person, not just as an athlete."

Green was only on campus for one day but he said that it was all he needed to know that Stanford was the right place for him.

"I knew when I stepped foot on campus," Green said. "They have a beautiful campus and I just saw myself going there."

While on campus, Green was given the chance to learn much more about the Stanford program. He feels as if the style that head coach Trent Johnson runs there is perfect for him.

"They have a structured system," Green said. "They don't necessarily have one particular star; they play as a team and share the ball. They have an overall good system."

It wasn't just the Stanford coaching staff that sold Green on the school. While on his visit, he had the chance to talk with some of the current Cardinal players, who are all enjoying their time in Palo Alto.

"They said they really enjoy it," Green said. "It's a first rate program and everything you need to get to the next level is there."

The Stanford program speaks for itself, but so does the conference that the school plays in. The Pac-10 has been loading up in talent recently and Green's commitment is the latest of several big ones for the conference over the past couple recruiting classes.

Green knows that against Pac-10 competition, he's going to be playing against other high level athletes, and he's happy to join the list of big names who have recently committed to play in the conference.

"The Pac-10 is going to be deep, especially with Jrue Holiday committing to UCLA, Brandon Jennings to Arizona, Malcolm Lee to UCLA and Isaiah Thomas to Washington. The Pac-10 is deep; you're not going to have a night off and I feel like that's going to make me better."

For Stanford to continue to compete at a high level in the Pac-10, it was important for Trent Johnson to sign a big 2008 class. He looks like he's going to do just that, as Green joins four-star guard Jarrett Mann and emerging power forward Miles Plumlee as future Cardinal.

Green has gotten to know both fellow Stanford commitments in recent weeks and is looking forward to sharing the court with them in Palo Alto.

"We can only get better," Green says. "We have Jarrett coming and Miles Plumlee coming in - two great players. Hopefully we'll get John Bandenburg too.

"I just texted Jarrett a couple minutes ago. He's coming to my house in a couple weeks to spend a week with me to work out and stuff. We're all going to take our official visit together (on September 29th) so we can build a close bond."

Green and Mann's cohesiveness is important because Johnson sees them being a big part of his Stanford program in the future.

"(Coach Johnson) told me he wants me to come in and run the show," Green said. "He wants me and Jarrett to dominate the backcourt."

That's a backcourt that could win a lot of games together, especially due to Green's current level of talent and drive to get better. Green says that his midrange game is his strength, but he's trying to improve in every area.

"Most people can hit the three-point ball or dunk, but I like to have that one-two dribble pull-up game," Green said. "I want to improve on every facet of my game."

Green knows that with hard work, he has the potential to play basketball for a living following his career at Stanford.

"If I keep working, hopefully I can get to the next level," Green said. "It's going to be hard but it's one of my dreams so hopefully I can achieve it."

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