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IN MY OPINION
Green blooms into stellar 6th man
SCOTT FOWLER
For environmentalists, going green means buying a smaller car or a longer-lasting light bulb.
For North Carolina on Thursday night, going green meant the difference between getting its first real test of the 2008 NCAA tournament or romping to a third straight blowout win. Thanks to Danny Green, it was the latter, as the Tar Heels rolled, 68-47, over Washington State and into an Elite Eight game against Louisville at 9:05 p.m. Saturday at Bobcats Arena.
Green, the Tar Heels' junior forward, was not one of my favorite college basketball players the past couple of years. Mainly, I thought he shot too much.
But Green has grown on me. He has turned into one of college basketball's best sixth men. He does so many things that it's hard not to like his game anymore.
While Tyler Hansbrough was playing one of his worst first halves of the season -- zero field goals, two points and three turnovers -- Green played one of his best.
"In our first two NCAA games, I felt like everybody but me was clicking," Green said. "So it was my turn to get into a rhythm today."
Washington State couldn't keep Green from getting into the lane. Or he would line up a 3-pointer and knock it down. By halftime, Green had 12 points and three steals and North Carolina had a comfortable 14-point lead that never came close to evaporating.
"Danny Green gave us a huge lift," North Carolina coach Roy Williams said.
Here's my favorite statistic about Green: He's the only Heels player to ever have at least 100 blocks and 100 3-pointers in his career.
Jawad Williams and Vince Carter come closest to Green in that category.
The past two months of Green's life have been far less stressful than the past two years. His father, Danny Green Sr., spent 22 months in prison because of charges relating to a multi-million dollar cocaine distribution network in New York.
Green has gone to New York twice for family reunions since his father's release in late January.
His father can't leave the state because of the terms of his probation. So Green Sr. is allowed to watch his son only on TV, not in person.
"But it's so great to be able to communicate with him every day again," the player said. "That's what was missing. He still critiques my game constantly -- telling me to stay aggressive, to stay in front of my man, not to rely too much on my shot-blocking ability. Sometimes, I don't want to hear it. But I know his goal has always been to make me a better player."
Green has always been streaky. In North Carolina's two losses this season, he went 1-for-10 against Duke and 4-for-13 against Maryland. In the rematch at Duke, though, he had 18 points and seven blocks (the most by any Tar Heel since 2001).
Thursday, he did enough for the Tar Heels to advance to exactly the same spot in the NCAA tournament they did last season before losing to Georgetown.
"A lot of us would like to forget that Georgetown game," Green said. "But it's still in the back of our minds."
IN MY OPINION Scott Fowler
Scott Fowler: 704-358-5140; sfowler@charlotteobserver.com
