Greene To Rep Owls in NBA

Donte Greene was drafted 28th overall by the Memphis Grizzlies.  (Syracuse University Athletic Communications)

By: Luke Jackson

Towson Catholic graduate Donte Greene had an unusual start to his NBA career.

Greene was drafted 28th overall by the Memphis Grizzlies in the NBA draft -- and was traded to the Houston Rockets that night as a part of a wild flurry of trade activity.

Greene played at Syracuse for one year before making the jump to the NBA and was one of 10 players in the first round and 12 in the entire draft who played just one season in college.

"If he stayed in college for one more year like I thought was the right thing to do, I think he would have been a top-10 draft pick next year," said Josh Pratt, Greene's high school coach for his junior and senior years at Towson Catholic. "[But] I support him. I'm very proud of him."

Greene averaged a team-leading 17.7 points per game during his one year at Syracuse, along with 7.2 rebounds, two assists, 1.6 blocks and 1.3 steals per game in 35 contests. The 6-foot-11, 226-pound forward logged an average of 35.8 minutes per game and helped the Orange to a 21-14 overall record, a 9-9 Big East Conference mark and a spot in the National Invitation Tournament quarterfinals.

He then decided to enter into the NBA draft after his freshman year, a risky move because a player may not be ready for the level of competition in the pros after just one season in college. But Greene was selected near what Pratt expected.

"I wasn't surprised about it," Pratt said. "I talked to about a dozen NBA teams, and I got the feeling he could go anywhere from 11 to 26."

As glamorous as draft night may have been for Greene, it's all business from here on out. In the professional ranks, everybody is as strong, as fast and as talented as Greene is, unlike in high school and college.

"He has to develop his craft," Pratt said. "He's got to work hard. He's got to lift weights and get in the weight room. He's got to have that mindset."

Greene played for Pratt in the 2005-06 and 2006-07 school years at Towson Catholic. When he was a junior, he helped lead the Owls to the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference championship after averaging 23.3 points, 12 rebounds and 4.6 blocks per game.

He helped Towson Catholic steamroll through Baltimore Catholic League and conference competition in his senior year as the Owls went undefeated in each league and finished 32-6 overall with No. 13 national ranking in USA Today.

Greene took home BCL Tournament Most Valuable Player honors, earned another first team All-Metro selection and was a McDonald's High School All-American pick. He scored 10 points and recorded two rebounds in the McDonald's All-Star Classic.

Greene had six double-doubles during his senior year and went on to average 18.3 points, 7.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 2.5 blocks and 2.1 steals for the entire season. He finished his career with over 2,200 points.

"He was a good talent and good player and did a lot of things for us," Pratt said. "Defensively, he could really change some shots."

In 2006, Greene was a part of the USA Men's Under-18 Team that played in the FIBA Americas Under-18 Championship, a tournament in which he averaged 3.5 points per game.

Greene did more in high school than just living on the basketball court.

"He was a leader off the court," said Pratt. "He sang in the chorus and played the drums. He sang the school alma mater when we got back to school in the fall. I was really impressed with that."

Posted July 11, 2008