By ADAM ZAGORIA
Josh Green tore his labrum last month and was unable to participate in this week’s Steph Curry Select Camp in California, although he did attend.
Still, the 6-foot-6, 205-pound Australian wing player from IMG Academy (FL) is already looking ahead to getting back on the court after the shoulder injury.
“I didn’t play at Steph, I was injured,” he said Wednesday by phone before he flew home to Arizona. “I tore my labrum. It is what it is. I had surgery a week-and-a-half ago. It’s progressing well. My goal is to be back on the court by around mid-November which isn’t too bad. I’ll be perfect ready to go by high school season.”
Despite the injury, Green’s recruitment continues to heat up and he cut his list to six on Monday: Villanova, Arizona, USC, UNLV, Kansas and North Carolina.
2019 SG Josh Green down to 6 https://t.co/Ios6ZqcONL
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) August 13, 2018
He broke down his top schools:
Arizona: “Arizona’s always prioritized me for a while now. They were one of the earliest schools which offered me and they’ve continued to stay in contact with me so I would just fit into their system really well. I would be able to play a combo guard position, one and two, so just a great system for me to play in and a great conference.”
Villanova: “They’re a great overall school. They really want me to get out there for a game just to see the way they prepare for games, how good Jay Wright is and just the overall culture and just developing players over time.”
Kansas: “Bill Self, he really, really likes me. He’s just talked about being able to come in and have a big role from the get-go. I’m friends with Silvio [de Sousa] as well so it’s been good to see how he’s liked it and everything like that. I personally think it’s a great program with a great tradition and they play my style of game as well.”
North Carolina: “Roy Williams, he’s really nice. He was talking about how I would fit into their style of play really well, an up and down style, getting up on defense. He also said he would like me to play a combo guard position. It’s a great overall program, the success he’s had with players as well.”
USC: “They have already got a recruiting class in 2019 and aare strong contenders to be a top team in 2019.”
UNLV: “They offer an opportunity for me to get back out on the court with my brother [Jay Green] again. This means a lot to me as he has helped me so much in my progression as a basketball player.”
As for Kentucky, he said “they got Kahlil Whitney so that’s a pickup at the wing spot for them. They talked to me before but I haven’t really talked to them.”
Green maintains friendships with fellow Australian stars Ben Simmons and Dante Exum, and says Simmons especially has been a role model.
“He’s been really good to me,” he said. “I think it’s really good to stay in contact with someone like that. He followed me on Instagram about a year ago and ever since then he’s been a good role model, been talking to me and just things like that.”
Green hopes to follow his fellow Australians into the NBA.
“Yeah,” he said.
Indeed, he’s projected as the No. 10 pick in one mock 2020 Draft.
Before then, he has to recover from his injury and then play at least a year in college.
“I think I can play from the one to the three and then defensively I can guard one through four,” he said. “I think that’s a big thing in the way I play. Just my transition game, getting out, being athletic. I’ve really worked on my shot so it’s really improved so that’s defintely been a big part of my game which has helpd me out.
“And I feel like I’m a great playmaker. I love to get my teammates involved in the game. I’m an athletic guard who loves to push it up. On the defensive, end, I really take pride in my defense and I really don’t like people to score on me.”
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