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It was all because of the play of Blake Poole.
Offensively, the players knew they always had an option in Poole’s post play. Fear of missing a shot was minimized by Poole, an NCAA Division II All-American who was a terror on the glass.
Life was equally as good for the Saints on defense as Poole’s dominating presence in the paint allowed his teammates to gamble and take some chances.
Poole, the 2011 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Player of the Year has since graduated – taking his 1,740 career points and 1,099 career rebounds with him overseas to play professionally in Germany and leaving Saints coach Keith Cooper wondering: How do you fill the void left by a 6-foot-6, 270-pound, athletically gifted post?
The answer might be Jeremy Green.
“Jeremy’s always played in the shadow of great players,” Cooper said. “He’s always been Robin to someone else’s Batman, but he’s being asked to do a lot for us this year.”
During his junior and senior seasons at Kentwood High School, Green played with current UCLA center Josh Smith – one of the nation’s top recruits two years ago.
Since arriving at St. Martin’s, Green, an athletic 6-6 forward, has played with all-conference players in Poole and Bill Richardson.
Now it’s Green’s turn to roam the Lacey university, not as a sidekick, but as the go-to-guy.
“It’s an opportunity,” Green said. “Coming into the season I knew my role was going to change. It’s going to be a challenge, but I think it’s something I’ve prepared for this offseason.”
While the Saints have opened their season with a 1-4 non-conference mark, Green’s evolution as a player has been undeniable.
Green paces the squad with a 15.4 point per game average and is pulling down 7.4 rebounds a contest.
“He’s been a consistent player since he’s been here,” Cooper said. “He has a great skill set. He has really developed his low-post game. He would have big games for us last year. When you have a Blake Poole on your roster and you’re in that secondary role, you can have an off night. This year we need him to be good every night and he has certainly shown he is capable of doing that.”
Green is coming off his first double-double of the season, scoring a team-high 19 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in a 79-72 loss at Northwest Christian on Nov. 25.
The Saints open GNAC play Thursday at Northwest Nazarene before traveling to Ellensburg to face Central Washington on Saturday.
“It’s a very wide-open conference this year,” Green said. “It’s definitely the any-team, any-night scenario. If we come out and play the way we are capable of there’s no reason why we can’t challenge the top teams.”
Green recently surpassed the 1,000-career point mark at St. Martin’s.
“Jeremy’s going to leave here one of the school’s top scorers of all time. He’s on pace to finish in the top 10,” Cooper said. “His college numbers will be better than his high school numbers, and not a lot of players can say that. He’ll have a chance to play overseas somewhere at the next level. He’s without question a better basketball player since he arrived here, but he’s an even better student and person.”
