UK Freshman Green Happy to Be Wearing Kentucky Blue
Growing up in the mountains of Eastern Kentucky, Blair Green seemed to be a natural fit to play college basketball for her home state team, the Kentucky Wildcats. While the fairy tale eventually became a reality when Green signed with the Cats, her initial plan was to play somewhere else.
“When it all first started, I was recruited in sixth or seventh grade, it was never really Kentucky,” Green said. “I never thought I was going to go to Kentucky because I wanted to be different and go my own way. It always came down to UCLA, Tennessee, one of those schools.”
Then, Green took a visit to the Kentucky campus, where her mind was immediately changed.
“When I came here on a visit, I was like ‘I have to go here’ because they played this video, and it really hit home to me,” Green said. “The coaching staff was like a family and I just knew I had to represent my state.”
That video, which featured current teammate Maci Morris, as well as UK legends and native Kentuckians Makayla Epps and A’dia Mathies, among others, convinced Green that Lexington was where she needed to be.
“The video was a bunch of Kentucky girls and all of their great accomplishments and they played a song and it said ‘I’m coming home’ and that really hit home to me,” Green said.
Green averaged 26.0 points and 6.5 rebounds per game as a senior at Harlan County High School, leading the Black Bears to the KHSAA Sweet 16. The versatile 6-0 guard was a finalist for Kentucky’s prestigious Miss Basketball Award and was a McDonald’s All-American nominee. Green scored 3,193 points and grabbed 1,102 rebounds during her high school career.
UK head coach Matthew Mitchell has been impressed with Green’s conditioning and effort.
“We let all the freshmen, all the high school seniors who signed with us, we give them material, this is how you can prepare to try to be ready to come in for the summer,” the UK head coach said. “It’s hard for them to do that on their own and not a lot of them come in and do that. You can count the ones who have been able to do that, you know, pretty quickly. You can run down that list.”
According to Mitchell, Green is on that short list.
“Blair is one of those people. She came in, very fit, very focused, with a real genuine humility, which the way we define that in our program is an accurate view of yourself,” Mitchell said. “Not undervaluing, going, oh, well, I’m no good, or not saying I’m the greatest. Just having a real accurate view of yourself.”
Green has a clear idea of what her strengths are on the court.
“I like to get up and down the floor,” Green said. “The coaches have been really surprised about how I run (to) the rim. I think I’ve become more aggressive. At this level, you have to pick it up. I’ve learned how to create my shot.”
She also immediately noticed a couple of significant differences between playing in high school and playing in college.
“From high school to college, (the difference is) definitely the pace of the game,” Green said. “It’s so much faster than high school ball. And the communication on the floor.”
And if Green ever has any questions or concerns, she knows she can turn to Morris, whom she has literally known her entire life. Green is so happy that she and Morris are finally on the same team.
“I love not having to play against her anymore,” Green said. “Being able to be on the same court and on the same team, and it’s Kentucky, so that’s awesome. We have been together forever.”
If it had not been for that effective recruiting video, the partnership of Green and Morris might not have ever happened. Kentucky fans will be glad that it worked out the way it did.
