BOYS PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Westover’s Mike Green

It was a speech Mike Green needed to hear.

As Westover High School’s point guard, Green was responsible for bringing the ball up the court, setting up the offense and putting the Patriots in position to score.

He was also a senior and a veteran.

Former Westover player Robbie Givens told Green during the middle of the season that he was a leader and he needed to play like it.

“He told me I should lead more,” Green recalled. “He told me I needed to tell the older guys to step up, and that I needed to help the younger guys.”

Green took the advice.

He helped lead the Patriots on a 10-game winning streak and a berth in the Class AAAA state semifinals before a heart-breaking, buzzer-beater loss against Columbia High School at West Georgia.

Green wasn’t always the player to light up the scoreboard. But when he spoke, he had a way of picking up the team.

His efforts helped the three-sport standout earn The Herald’s Willie Boston Boys Player of the Year award.

Green averaged 13 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.1 steals per game to help Westover to a 23-6 record — not bad for an athlete who considers basketball his third favorite sport.

He was a starting receiver on the football field where he played an integral part in helping the Patriots to the Region 1-AAAA title. But his favorite sport is baseball, where the shortstop and three-year standout is trying to help Westover back to the state playoffs.

He began playing football when one of his close friends — quarterback Ta’Keevian Harris — needed someone to catch his throws. Green had soft hands and good speed and encouraged his friend to join the football team.

Green wasn’t overly excited about basketball. He played because he enjoyed hanging out with friends.

“I wanted to stay close and not get into trouble,” he said. “But I also wanted to excel in the sport as well.”

He played some last year, but it wasn’t until last summer before he got any meaningful playing time. He spent countless hours during summer games, trying to improve. It was then that his work-ethic caught the eye of Westover boys coach Dallis Smith.

“I worked pretty hard over the summer to try and get better,” Smith said. “I liked to think I helped the team in some sort of way. Coach Smith noticed it.”

Smith knew he had some talented seniors. But he was looking for more than just a good group of players.

“I was looking for one person to lead,” Smith said. “Mike is a laid-back kid that doesn’t say a whole lot. But once he got comfortable, he took off. If it wasn’t for Mike Green this year, we wouldn’t have been in the situations we were in.”

Green said it was a midseason loss to Americus-Sumter that got his and his teammates’ attention.

“I think everyone finally bought in after that,” he said. “It was like we weren’t supposed to lose. I thought that maybe it was time to start thinking about what Coach Smith was saying.”

The Patriots had volunteer practices on the weekends to work on fundamentals such as better ball-handling and shooting free throws. Green always went, and by midseason, just about the entire team was showing up on Sunday afternoons after church.

He helped guide the Patriots on a 10-game winning streak and into the state semifinals where they met perennial powerhouse Columbia High.

The senior became Westover’s go-to guy, and he had a chance to showcase his skills in the final minute against Columbia. Trailing by three, Green sank a layup, then was fouled on the play. He calmly sank the free throw to tie the game, then watched as Columbia sank a buzzer beater to advance to the state championship game.

“Mike drove the lane, hit the shot and got fouled,” Smith said. “He gave us a chance to win. That is all I could ask of him.”

Green hasn’t forgotten the crushing setback, and he often wonders what he could have done differently.

“I don’t think I would have changed anything,” he said. “Those losses helped make us better and brought us closer. I loved the season, I loved the players and I loved Westover.”

For a player who wasn’t a clear starter when the season began, Green used hard work to garner a handful of postseason honors. In addition to the player of the year honors, he was also named to the Class AAAA all-state team by the Georgia Athletic Coaches Association.

It’s flattering for the laid-back player who would rather avoid the spotlight and let someone else score.

“It’s great to be acknowledged,” he said. “I thank God for the season I had because without him, none of this would have happened. Our coaches worked hard with me. I’m surprised. I never thought at the end of my senior season, all of this would be happening to me.”

Especially not after his speech from Givens.

2013-14 Albany Herald All-Area Boys Basketball Team

FIRST TEAM

Tyree Crump, Bainbridge, Sophomore