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Juan’ya Green is so good that he has already been 1 of the best players in 2 different conferences. He began his college career at Niagara, where he started all 33 games as a freshman, led the team in 3PM/FT%, and was named All-MAAC 1st team. After transferring to Hofstra and sitting out a year, he started all 34 games, led the team in PPG and led the conference in AST, and was named All-CAA 1st team. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Juan’ya about why he decided to transfer and how he runs 1 of the best offenses in the nation.
You began you college career at Niagara, where you were named conference ROY in 2012: how were you able to make such a smooth transition from high school to college? Coach Mihalich put the ball in my hands when I got there and said that I would be the main reason for our success, so I just tried to work hard.
You led the MAAC in STL during each of your 1st 2 years: what is your secret to being a great defender? You need the mentality of not letting your opponent score and you have to play hard 100% of the time.
After being named 1st-team All-MAAC as a sophomore you decided to transfer: why did you choose to leave? I did not want to stay there after Coach Mihalich left: I just wanted to try something new so I went with him.
You played for Coach Mihalich at Niagara before following him to Hofstra: what makes him such a good coach, and what is the most important thing that you have ever learned from him? He always wants the best for us: he gets everything out of us whether we are having a good or bad day. He taught me to give 100%.
In the 2015 CAA tourney you scored 26 PTS and played all 50 minutes but Daniel Dixon made a 3-PT shot with 0.8 seconds left in a 1-PT 2-OT win by William & Mary: did you think the shot was going in, and where does that rank among the most devastating losses of your career? When I saw him get the ball I did not think that he would make it because he was so wide open. It was heartbreaking because we had played such a good game.
In the 2015 CBI you scored 16 PTS (3-9 3PM) in a 4-PT loss to Vermont: how close did you come to winning the game, and what did you learn from that game that you think will help you this year? We were very close to winning but made a lot of mistakes on defense.
Last year your team’s 78.5 PPG was top-15 in the country: what makes your offense so effective? We have different guys who can score in a variety of ways. We can make threes or post up or drive to the hole and kick the ball out to our shooters.
You are 1 of 4 returning starters: how crucial will all of that experience be to your team’s success this year? It is great to have a lot of leaders on the team: we all have to be vocal and bring something to the table.
You have scored at least 16 PPG in each of your 3 college seasons, and last year you led the CAA with 6.5 APG: how do you balance your scoring with your passing? I just tell myself every game to be the player I am. When it is time to score I score, and when it is not time to score I try to make passes to help my team.
What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? My goal is to be the best leader I can be, especially being vocal. I also want to get to the CAA title game after losing in the semifinals last year.