Rookie guard Jeremy Green is averaging 7.1 points in 19 games for the Erie BayHawks this season. Photo by Janet B. Kummerer/Erie Times-News
This D-League playoff series will end in his hometown.
After Thursday night’s Game 1 at Tullio Arena, Erie BayHawks rookie Jeremy Green will return home for Game 2 of this best-of-3 series against the Austin Toros.
Game 3, if necessary, will be in Austin where Green grew up. So out of all the BayHawks, Green was probably the happiest Austin chose Erie as its first-round opponent.
“I was actually excited,” Green said. “Austin is a good team. That’s where I’m from. Everyone around the city goes to watch the Toros. It should be interesting with me coming back there as a visitor instead of cheering for the home. It should be fun.”
Out of Stanford, Green expects family and friends to attend Game 2 and Game 3 if necessary.
“It should be a pretty nice homecoming,” Green said.
No booing the hometown boy now.
“Austin is good city,” Green said smiling. ” Good fans. I don’t think there will be any booing or anything like that, but it should be fun.”
Green said he hasn’t played in his hometown since high school. Green said he’s never played in the Cedar Park Center in Cedar Park, Tex. The Toros used to play in the Austin Convention Center.
“It’s three to five minutes from my house,” said Green about the Cedar Park Center.
So Green might as well stay with his parents right?
“I’ll probably be at the hotel, but I’ll probably be at crib the good portion of the time,” a laughing Green said. “Just chilling. Catching up with the fam.”
Having this impromptu homecoming from a playoff series surprised his parents.
“They were shocked,” Green said. “They said, ‘You’re coming to Austin to play,’ but they’re pretty happy. I haven’t seen them in a long time and they haven’t seen me play other than watching it on the computer.”
Green is averaging 7.1 points in 19 games with the BayHawks after being waived by the Los Angeles D-Fenders. Green had a three-game stretch in which he averaged 12.3 points and shot 5-of-9 from 3-point range, but has scored just 11 points total in his last three games.
“I’m not too satisfied with how I’m playing,” Green said. “I probably can play a lot better, but it’s just a learning experience. Just my first year out playing as a professional. A lot of things I got to get used to. A lot of things I have to adapt to. So it’s just a learning process. I’m just growing. Trying to take as much from the situation as I can.”
