Photo courtesy of Position Sports.
By David Cordova
Basketball in the city of Philadelphia is all about toughness and finesse. It is something that cannot be taken lightly or played with. Every time out on the court, the scene resembles a battleground. The one who controls the game the most in venues like these is the point guard.
Some of the best point guards to come out of the City of Brotherly Love in the last thirty years include Jerome “Pooh” Richardson (UCLA, NBA Alvin Williams (Villanova University/Toronto Raptors), Sean Singletary (University of Virginia) and current NBA pro Kyle Lowry (Villanova University/Toronto Raptors).
Now there’s another player that will be a part of that list: Quade Green. The 6-foot-1 senior guard out of perennial national powerhouse Neumann-Goretti High School and the No. 22-rated recruit in the Class of 2017 by ESPN, has become one of the most sought after players in Philadelphia since his freshman year and recently throughout the nation.
Like all of his predecessors, he plays an brand of tough, hard-nosed basketball and is the type of player that is a pass-first, shoot later guard. He is also a player that can break down defenses and shoot long jumpers, as well as attack the basket.
“Being from Philly is crazy. You grow up with nothing, you got to do what you gotta do to try to get out.” says Green of his area. Like most players from that area, the struggle of being from the urban environment reflects his game.
Since his freshman year, Green has played on the varsity for the Saints, a powerhouse that produced players like Rick Jackson (Syracuse/Provence), Antonio “Scoop” Jardine (Syracuse) and most recently, Ja’Quan Newton (Miami). In Green’s time there, they have won two Philadelphia Catholic League championships and three state championships.
Every year, Neumann-Goretti is a shoo-in to play in the Philadelphia Catholic League playoffs at the Palestra, a basketball cathedral which is located on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania, a prestigious Ivy League school. In last year’s PCL title game between the Saints and Roman Catholic, another powerhouse from downtown Philadelphia, there was an estimated 9,000 people in attendance.
Of playing in such a legendary place like the Palestra, Green says: “It’s a great feeling. A lot of pros and a lot of legendary high school players have played there.”
In his junior year, Green averaged 18.7 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists and led the Saints to the PIAA Class AAA state championship. But he wasn’t completely satisfied with how things turned out. “I think it was okay. It wasn’t gonna great. This year is gonna be great.”
On the AAU side, Green previously played on the Under Armour Association circuit in 2015 with WE R 1, a program with players from Delaware, Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey, forming a dangerous backcourt with another top-flight prospect from the Class of 2017, who is ranked No. 3 in the country by Scout.com.
Then this past summer, Green joined the PSA Cardinals on the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League circuit, in which his college stock rose tremendously. He averaged 14.1 points and 10.5 assists per game, and led them to a 14-2 record through four sessions in which they steamrolled all the way to the championship game of the Nike Peach Jam.
On his amazing summer on what is deemed as the best circuit in the country, he said,”I improved my stock with them, playing with guys like Mohamed Bamba, Brandon Randolph. I improved my stock a lot. Playing at the Peach Jam was a crazy experience, I wish I could go back right now.”
He also played for the gold-medal winning USA Basketball U18 team in Validvia, Chile for the FIBA Americas tournament in which they went undefeated and averaged 4.6 points, 2.6 assists and 1.8 rebounds in five games. He also made appearances at big events such as the Pangos All-American Camp in May, the Nike Basketball Academy in late July and the Nike EYBL Bahamas trip in August.
“Playing in USA Basketball was a blessing,”says Green.”Nike Bahamas was great, playing with all of the best from the EYBL, we just tried to have fun out there.”
Last year, Green has had his own web series, titled Plan A, directed by 8EeyeMedia, which is run by Jaime Boyer. In Plan A, Green’s story is being told through his workouts and his struggles, as well as how he perservered from them. When asked about the documentary, he replied, “You gotta keep watching.”
As for his college recruitment, the date for his commitment has been set for November 19th, in which he will announce his collegiate decision at Neumann-Goretti as part of the school’s Midnight Madness event.
The five schools that he will be choosing from are powerhouses Duke, Kentucky, Syracuse and local schools such as Temple, and the defending national champions, Villanova. The question now is will he stay home and play for the Wildcats or the Owls? Or will he choose to go to Durham, Syracuse or Lexington? That will be determined soon enough.
This season, Green hopes to lead the Saints to more championships as a senior, along with Villanova commit Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree, junior forward Marcus Littles and sophomore guard Chris Ings in the fold.
But once he plays his final high school game, it is with great fanfare that all of Philadelphia will remember the name, Quade Green.
Highlights of Quade Green:
Courtesy of 8Eye Media.
Courtesy of 8Eye Media.
Courtesy of Ballislife.
Courtesy of BLF Sports.
Courtesy of MakePlayz.
Courtesy of Hoop Diamonds.
Courtesy of Primetime Hoops.
Courtesy of BLF Sports.
Courtesy of Bleacher Report.
Courtesy of Hoop Journey.
Courtesy of Rivals.com
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