Seventeen Games In, Green Remains ‘Green’
Posted by Fordham SportsNet on February 28, 2009
BY CHARLES COSTELLO
After transferring from West Virginia in December 2007, it wasn’t until the ninth game of this current season that Jacob Green was eligible to suit up for the Rams. Few moments this year have produced the same anticipation as did the night of Dec. 23rd when Green came off the bench early in the first half against New Hampshire, the first opportunity Rams’ fans had to see the 6-9 forward in game action. In 29 minutes that night, the sophomore scored eight points and grabbed eight rebounds. Not a bad start to his Fordham career. And one of the rare wins on the year for the Rams, a 60-56 victory over the visiting Wildcats.
In 17 games this season, Jacob Green has just 47 rebounds. Head coach Dereck Whittenburg expects more from the sophomore. (Photo courtesy of Joe DiBari)
Here’s some of what Fordham head coach Dereck Whittenburg had to say about Green following that game:
“Jacob Green is going to be a help for us. He came in and gave us some rebounds, gave us some presence. It gives us a guy with some size. You’ve got to remember he practiced for two years against Big East competition, practiced against Big East players. Now, if someone comes to the basket we’ve got some guys to bang around in there.”
Two months later, however, Green remains green. And while that’s to be expected of a guy who, for all intents and purposes, is still a freshman, Whittenburg expects more from Green, especially in terms of rebounding.
“We’re not getting a lot of rebounding production from Jacob (Green),” Whittenburg said after last Wednesday’s game. “Even though he’s in the game he’s not rebounding. I’m kind of disappointed in him because we need him. He’s the one guy we know is very capable of rebounding.”
Whittenburg’s comments are valid. With the first season of his Fordhamcareer winding down, Green’s stats are unimpressive. In 17 games, he has pulled down just 47 rebounds. He’s only averaging 6.4 points per game. His team-leading thirty blocks notwithstanding, the Rams need Green to produce more. With his 6-9 frame, Green is a rare commodity at Fordham these days. With the exception of Luke Devine, Zach Wing, and Lamar Thomas, Fordham is playing with mostly guards. That made Green’s one rebound performance in Wednesday night’s loss to Richmond even more disappointing. And it makes the need for drastic improvement in his overall game even more urgent.
