Aussie phenom Josh Green commits to Arizona
Young Aussie phenom Josh Green has taken a momentous step towards realising his NBA dream, committing to play at the University of Arizona next year.
https://twitter.com/josh_green6/status/1047909115412901889
Green, 17, stand to be a one-and-done prospect for the Wildcats, highly touted by a collection of pro scouts to be a mid to high lottery pick in the 2020 NBA draft.
The 6'7 Green was rated by ESPN as the eighth best high school prospect of his class, and the second highest shooting guard overall.
A slew of historic and powerful college programs presented their pitches to Green, with his final six candidates narrowed down to USC, Villanova, UNLV, Kansas and North Carolina.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1iCV9KoCfio
Ultimately though, Green will take his talents to Arizona where he will play under long time head coach Sean Miller and join fellow NBA lottery hopeful Nico Mannion in the back court.
Green, originally from Sydney, has spent the previous four years in the United States honing his talent at the well renowned IMG Academy in Florida. The two guard is considered to be arguably the purest athletes in his class, and features a consistent jumper and the ability to create for himself off the dribble and finish at the rim.
Despite playing basketball in Florida, Green and his family are based out of Phoenix. While the decision to play at Arizona wasn't based entirely around proximity to family, it was certainly a factor in the decision.
"I look back at everything I've done and I've come through to be where I'm at, and I feel proud and it feels crazy," Green told Bleacher Report of his commitment to Arizona.
"I moved from one side of the world to the other side of the world. A lot of kids in Australia would love to be in the situation I'm in. I'm excited for what's next."
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jSe2OucHQ9w
Green figures to be Australia's latest one-and-done prospect, after Ben Simmons also played the lone season in college before making the jump to the pro's. He is such a versatile athlete with a unique skill-set, a big reason the NBA is already taking notice.
Having represented Australia at the 2018 NBA All-Star Game as part of the Basketball Without Borders program, Green spoke to The Pick and Roll.
“My versatility, I feel like that has always been a big part of my game," Green outlined. "At IMG, I have had to change positions and move from the one man to the four man, so I feel that [versatility] has helped me out a lot.”
https://pickandroll.com.au/josh-green-australias-next-big-time-basketball-prospect/
Arizona has previously been the chosen destination of other Australian players before him, with Daniel Dillon and most recently Keanu Pinder attending the prestigious program.
The dynamic guard had also caught the attention of Australian national team selectors, recently selected as part of the initial 24-man Australian Boomers squad for the latest FIBA World Cup Asian qualifying window. While Green did not make the final team, he is well and truly on the national radar, and will certainly have the rest of the world watching when he finally steps onto the college basketball stage next year as a Wildcat.