College men’s basketball: Green Declared as an NBA free agent

UC IRVINE - UC Irvine’s Jerry Green, who returned to the Anteaters

for his senior season and earned his second straight Big West Conference

Player of the Year award after he was not selected in the NBA, is not

eligible for this year’s draft in June. Instead, Green will be a rookie

free agent because according to NBA rules a player can participate in

just one draft.

Since Green did not hire an agent last year he was able to take

advantage of an NCAA rule that allowed for his reinstatement for his

senior season.

In his final home game as an Anteater on Feb. 23, a scout who provides

service for the NBA said the NBA scouts’ consensus of Green was that he

was a late second-round pick in the upcoming draft. Green is too small to

be an NBA two-guard and does not have enough experience to play the

point, the scout said.

Green, UCI’s all-time career scoring leader, is hoping that his free

agent status works in his favor.

“My goal has always been to play in the NBA and being a free agent

probably works to my advantage,” Green said in a statement released

Monday. “My agent and I have an opportunity to look for the best possible

situation for my abilities.”

Green, who is represented by Aaron Goodwin & Associates, participated

in the Portsmouth (Va.) Invitational Tournament earlier this month and is

expected to compete in a Chicago camp for NBA prospects in June.

The 6-foot-3 guard earned Associated Press honorable mention

All-American the past two seasons. He led the conference in scoring at

20.3 points per game this season and is UCI’s all-time leading scorer

with 1,993 points.

Green also holds UCI records for field goals made with 672, field

goals attempted (1,426), free throws made (533), free throws attempted

(658), steals (162) and consecutive starts (116). He had 412 assists in

his career to rank third at UCI.