COLORADO SPRINGS -- The top ranked player in the class of 2020, shooting guard Jalen Green welcomes all challengers coming who want to try and take his position as the best player in the sophomore class.
While that top ranking is important to Green, the 6-foot-5 sophomore has good perspective on his effort and the effort of those coming after him.
"It's important to me that I defend it," said Green of the top spot. "I want to keep it and I want to stay up there. At the same time I'm not really worried about rankings, I am glad my name is out there like that, but I'm not too worried about rankings because they don't mean anything right now. You could be No. 1, No. 2 and I'm going to come out and try to dog you.
"In games other kids are talking, bad mouthing me, saying trash and they are coming after me heavy."
At last weekend's USA Basketball Developmental Camp, Green faced challengers from 2020 as well as some of the top players in 2019 and 2020.
"I feel like I held my ground pretty good," Green told Rivals.com. "I feel like I could have done better. I think my shooting could have been more on point, I could have played better defense, I could have talked more and done a lot more things. I'm happy with how I played, but I'm not satisfied."
On the recruiting front Green already holds offers from hometown Fresno State, Arizona, California, Cincinnati, Connecticut, Creighton, Florida State, Oklahoma State, Oregon, San Diego State, UCLA, USC and Villanova. Duke, UCLA and Arizona have hoped to get him on campus this fall but for now he's got no visits planned and is understandably taking the recruiting process slow.
"I don't really feel like anyone has made me that priority guy yet," said Green."I just want to keep things open and keep from jumping to conclusions and things like that."
The focus for Green is now all set on his sophomore season and doing what he can to become as good in the half court as he is in the open floor.
"Mostly I'm working on catch and shoot, creating off the dribble, coming off screens correct, I'm working on half court stuff," said Green. "More structured things for games."
