URI Basketball Great Kenny Green shares his Legendary Career
Interview with URI Legend Kenny Green
We had a chance to interview Rhody great Kenny Green recently on the inaugural “URI Just Getting Started,” YouTube podcast aired on our newly launched YouTube channel.
During the podcast, Green, a former Rhody 6–8 power forward/center opens up about his life and playing career starting at Holy Cross high school in Waterbury, Connecticut with stops at URI, Fargo, North Dakota and overseas in idyllic countries like Italy, Spain and Turkey. Green, who is now back home in Connecticut, culminates the interview by talking about his quest to become a NCAA division 1 assistant basketball coach.
Green also shares stories of his Rhody playing career candidly. By watching this podcast you can relive Green’s experience on one of the program’s greatest wins versus Syracuse in the round of 32 in the 1988 NCAA Basketball tournament. You will feel like you are on the court versus the Orangemen and hear about the initial trash talk Syracuse leveled against Rhode Island.
In addition, Green reveals shocking news about who was actually responsible for recruiting Green to Kingston.
So sit back and enjoy the ride as you watch or read about one of the greatest players to grace the basketball court at URI.
Scott Brand (SB): Hassan Martin nearly surpassed your URI all-time shot blocking record. Were you worried about losing that record?
Kenny Green (KG): No. Not in the least. Hassan Martin gave me a run for my money. When I spoke to him and Cyril Langevine, who came in fourth, I told them records are made to be broken. I was really rooting for them to break the record. They both came very very close.
SB: What do you think of URI recently hiring Todd Bozeman as an assistant basketball coach?
KG: What I remember about Todd is that he was a great guy. His record speaks for himself on what he has achieved in his career. He is a very sound and strong coach. I think he is going to be a great fit for URI. Todd has never been one to hold anything back. And he is very vocal, which is a good fit for URI.
SB: Can you tell me about your professional career after URI?
KG: When I left URI, I didn’t get drafted, but I was picked up by the San Antonio Spurs for their summer camp in Los Angeles. I was actually having a really good camp.
The first three games I averaged 27 points with double doubles and at that time Larry Brown was the coach and we had the same agent. I think we were playing Miami in the summer league and a team from Milan, Italy was there and saw me. At that time the coach for that team was Mike D’Antoni. I went back to my room after the game and my agent said we have an offer.
I also learned that Bob McAdoo was on the team. And knowing who McAdoo was even at the end of his career and what he has accomplished, it was an easy decision to play with the Italian team and learn from him.
I thought the move would help me in the long run so I made the decision to go. I never dreamed of going overseas. Once I got there, overall it was a great basketball experience. But I only played five games under D’Antoni. He had the same run and gun system that he had at Houston and Phoenix. It was up and down the floor. I was supposed to be what Clint Capella was doing for him in Houston.
The first five games were great, but I was getting beat up playing the center position and the toll it was taking on me I knew I couldn’t continue and I wouldn’t last a whole season. So I called my agent, renegotiated my contract and came back to the states to play in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA).
SB: Who actually recruited you to play for the University of Rhode Island?
KG: During my senior year of high school I had a teammate who was a McDonald’s All-American and every college coach came to visit him instead of me including former URI coach, Brendan Malone.
During Brendan’s recruiting visit, his wife Maureen accompanied him. And on their way home, she told him she preferred me rather than the McDonald’s All American.
I heard that she told Brendan, ‘I like the big guy with the glasses (Kenny Green). He rebounds with two hands, he is physical, he plays hard the entire game, and he does all the dirty work. I am not interested in the other kid. All he does is shoot the ball.”
So Brendan, who has always had respect for his wife’s recruiting acumen, decided to change course and recruit me instead. I owe Maureen a debt of gratitude. As a coaches’ wife, she went on many recruiting trips with Brendan and that’s how she got to know the game. And honestly, if it wasn’t for her I wouldn’t have ended up at Rhode Island.
I like the big guy with the glasses (Kenny Green). He rebounds with two hands, he is physical, plays hard the entire game, and does all the dirty work.” Maureen Malone, wife of Brendan Malone who recruited Kenny Green
SB: I heard even after Brendan left URI to coach for the Knicks, his home was the place to be for the players.
KG: When Brendan left for New York to coach with Rick Pitino and the Knicks, Maureen stayed at Rhode Island to wrap up some things and even though a new coach was coming in and her tenure as den mother was over she didn’t see it that way. She still had myself and my teammates: Bonzie Colson and John Evans stay at her house for literally three weeks.
SB: What was the difference between playing for Brendan Malone and Tom Penders?
KG: Malone was an in your face, we are going to lock everyone down type of coach. And Tom Penders was as long as we score more points than the other team we are going to win. They were two totally different coaches but they were the same in creating cultures that care about their players.
SB: What was it like playing injured at URI for all four years? What type of injury did you have?
KG: I literally snapped my knee cap in half. And from what the doctor told me I had a growth spurt of six inches my senior year. So all my bones just didn’t catch up.
When I was a freshman at URI on my third practice I went up for a rebound and my knee cap split in half. It became chronic. It got so bad it was bone on bone. So the bone spurs got locked into the joints. I went through seven surgeries and five of them when I was in school.
SB: Do you ever think what if you didn’t have all those injuries and surgeries what your career would look like?
KG: In my mind when I was going through all of that I always wished I could practice more and refine my game even more. I always thought about what if I had two good knees. How good could I have been. But I tried to think that this was the hand that I was dealt with and I handled it the best that I could.
But even with the injury it just wasn’t possible not to practice. So I spent a lot of time in the pool and on the stationary bike just to maintain my physical condition. I would also sneak into the gym sometimes and shoot by myself so I could maintain my stroke.
SB: Was it true that you didn’t practice often and just played the games to maintain your strength in your knees?
KG: If we had a game on a Monday and the next game was Thursday, I wouldn’t practice on Tuesday or Wednesday. So I had to do something. I had to get some shooting in.
SB: Who came up with the idea of resting between games? It was like the early days of load management.
KG: It was Coach Penders. And when I first heard the plan I thought this guy (Penders) was crazy. I thought to myself what am I supposed to do if I am not practicing. And we all know you need to practice with your teammates. And I always thought if I am not practicing where are they going to know where I should be on the floor.
But nonetheless it worked anyway because when you have Tommy Garrick and Silk Owens, it made everything easy for everybody else. I started getting the hang of it playing without practicing.
SB: Can you explain how Tommy Garrick made such a gargatuan leap from his sophomore to his junior and senior seasons?
KG: That was Coach Penders understanding his talent. And that applied to the rest of the team as well. He literally just let us go. We had structure but it was to the point where he left everything up to the two guards.
I still remember Coach Penders saying before the first practice of the 1988 Sweet 16 run that he wants to score one hundred points per game. And everybody looked around and thought what about the defense part of it.
So Penders replied if we score one hundred points a game we will outscore everybody. And that was his mentality. He was like just go. He said after the first practice where we went up and down the court continuously that we were not the running Rams for nothing.
SB: How would you rate the defense on this storied team?
KG: I thought we were strong defensively. I mean when we needed to lock someone down we were able to. And we were so much in sync with each other on the floor.
SB: Tell us about the Syracuse game?
KG: The Syracuse game I will say we knew who they were with Ronny Seikaly and Derrick Coleman. So we were like it was going to be an uphill battle for us. But we had the mentality that we weren’t scared to play anyone. And we knew we could play with anybody.
SB: Was Syracuse trash talking in 1988 NCAA second round?
KG: Yes they were. I already new Derrick Coleman from playing against him in the summer in New York. So when he saw me he said to me that we don’t even know where Rhode Island is. So I replied. Okay. We have something in store for you. And for the first five minutes of the game they were trash talking. But then they understood that we (Rhode Island) were for real and they were in for a game.
SB: What was your impression of your 1988 Sweet 16 matchup with Duke? Did the referees basically take Garrick out of the game with questionable fouls early on?
KG: Honestly, they weren’t even questionable calls. I think his (Garrick) two fouls were phantom fouls. They knew who Tommy was and what he had done in the tournament. He was our go to guy. To beat a team with the caliber of players that they had we needed everybody. Especially Tommy literally playing a forty minute game. But I have to give us credit. Even without Tommy, it still went down to the last shot of the game.
SB: Who were you recruited by?
KG: My first recruitment letter came from Hartford University. Then my second recruitment letter came from Wake Forest, but I knew and felt in my heart that I wasn’t an ACC player at that time of my career.
My mom had talked to Wake Forest and they were ready to come up on a recruiting trip. And then Rhode Island got involved and solidified where I was going to go. My mom and aunt were highly involved in the recruiting process to the point where I was told by them that I would be attending Rhode Island.
SB: What are your future plans?
KG: I have been trying to break into college coaching. What I have learned is that to become a college basketball coach is one of the toughest jobs to get. It’s not only about your ability, but it is who you know. I have talked to a lot of teams and I have been on some interviews. But I am not giving up and I am here for the long run. Because I feel like I have a lot to offer. Especially to these young big men.
I would love to be at Rhode Island. I actually love that school. I know how to get bigs to produce night in and night out. So I am just waiting for my chance. And I think somebody is going to take a chance. And when they do I am not going to let them down. It’s a matter of time.
SB: What’s this you are saying about retiring legendary URI basketball player’s numbers?
KG: All I want is the school to retire some of the elite player’s numbers. I think it’s needed and would really benefit the program. And the reason I say that is when you bring a recruit to a URI game and that recruit has been to other schools and they look up at the rafters and only see three numbers retired, the kids are going to say to themselves no other players came to this school where they could retire their numbers.
This is something that is needed for this school and program. And it sounds really small. But when it’s done I think when high profile recruits visit and see more retired numbers it is going to be a step forward.
SB: Who are you most excited about on the Rhode Island team?
KG: You know who I am really excited about? Ishmael Leggett. He reminds me of Tommy so much. Just his physique. The way he plays. With a year under his belt, I think he is going to have a breakout season this year.
But as long as he is used in the right way. If he is put out of position, it is going to hurt him. To me he is going to be a perfect two guard. If he is used as a point guard, I think it is going to hurt him. But if he is used as a two guard, I think he is going to be great.
SB: Thanks for coming on today. I think what sticks out in my mind is that Brendan Malone’s wife was the lead recruiter for Kenny Green.
I am definitely going to tell people that it’s time for Kenny Green to be highly considered for an assistant coaching job whether it’s Rhode Island, Boston College or Hartford. Kenny you have too much talent and I see too many players who have not benefitted from the knowledge you have. Especially bigs on the college level.
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