Kevyn Green Makes Decision

It was a long and hard road. But Kevyn Green, an athletic 6-foot-4, 195-pound shooting guard from Benson Tech High School in Portland, Ore., has reached the end of it. Green has a Division I scholarship. In November, Green penned his name on a letter-of-intent to play college basketball at Nevada in 2004-05.

"I signed with the University of Nevada on (November) 12th," said Green. "I had been working out and thinking about what schools were the best fit for me, and after about two months in that process, I started looking into Nevada. I was ready to make my decision, and that was the school I wanted to go to."

Quickly, here's a little background on what Green's situation was all about. A Benson Tech Class of 2003 graduate, Green had very little college interest out of high school, despite an all-league caliber season. So with the hopes of attending prep school as a fifth year senior to garner more interest, Green hit the AAU circuit with Canaan Chatman's ICP program in the summer, and performed well in events in Indianapolis and Las Vegas. As a result, he got renewed interest from several schools such as San Diego, Portland State, Penn State, Nevada, and Oregon State. Green's plan was that he would wait until the spring to work up even more interest with a solid fifth year in prep school on the East Coast.

Unfortunately, the prep school route didn't work out and Green was left staying at home with nowhere to go. Undaunted, Green kept his head up and decided to work out on his own instead of going to a lower division school or junior college, where he would burn eligibility. It was a gamble, but it paid off as although he wasn't actively playing, schools were still extremely interested. San Diego, Portland State, Penn State, and Nevada all offered, and Oregon State left open possibilities in the spring.

Even with those offers in hand, Green planned on waiting until the spring. But the more he talked with Nevada, the more he felt comfortable with the program. Green was extremely familiar with the Wolfpack, since older brother Terence was a solid player there for four years. So when the signing period came around in November, Green felt good enough about things that he went ahead and signed on the dotted line.

"I really like what they're doing and how they're moving in the right direction," said Green. "I like their team and the people they have coming back next year, and I really like the coaching staff. There's a genuine care there. They were calling me everyday making sure I was at my workouts."

Playing time as a freshman is certainly available for Green, a bouncy athlete who has nice range on his jumpshot.

"I know I can step in and play a lot," said Green. "It just depends on how I adjust to the system, a new set of teammates, and all that. But I have a good chance at starting next year."

Green is currently getting his status with the NCAA clearinghouse finalized. Once that's complete, he will enroll and pay his own way at Nevada as a part-time student in January, which will allow him to get a head start in the program. His scholarship would then kick in during the fall.

"I need to get adjusted to school, living away from home, and I want to practice with the team and try to get stronger and quicker," said Green. "So next year, I'll be a sophomore when I'm really a freshman. I'll be a half-year ahead of the game."

Green is Nevada's second early signee, joining 7-footer David Ellis of Sacramento.

Jed Tai is a senior writer with Hoopville.com