AJ Green

AJ Green (born September 27, 1999) is an American college basketball player for the Northern Iowa Panthers of the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC).

Green attended Holmes Junior High School, where he first decided he wanted to play college basketball. He played for Cedar Falls High School on the basketball team as well as the Iowa Barnstormers in AAU play. As a senior, he averaged 26 points per game and became Cedar Falls' all-time leading scorer. He led the team to a state championship.

Recruiting

Green was a consensus four-star recruit and was considered the No. 78 player in the 2018 class by ESPN. On August 11, 2017, he committed to play college basketball for Northern Iowa, where his father was a member of the coaching staff. Green became the highest-rated player to ever commit to Northern Iowa and the program's first four-star recruit. He chose the Panthers over offers from Iowa State, Minnesota and Nebraska, among other major programs.

As a freshman, Green averaged 15.1 points per game. However, he struggled with turnovers, with 77 assists to 94 turnovers. Green was named Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Year, becoming the first Northern Iowa player to receive the honor since Seth Tuttle in 2012, as well as Third Team All-MVC. On January 4, 2020, Green scored a career-high 35 points in a 69-64 win over Bradley. He had 34 points on February 8, in a 83-73 win over Drake. On February 12, Green scored 27 points in a 71-63 win over Illinois State and surpassed the 1,000 point threshold. At the conclusion of the regular season, Green was named MVC Player of the Year. He averaged 19.7 points and 3.0 assists per game as a sophomore.

Green's father, Kyle Green, is an associate head basketball coach for Northern Iowa. Kyle played NCAA Division III basketball for Hamline University before spending one season professionally in Denmark, where he also began his coaching career. Green's mother, Michele, played basketball for Hamline and is a chiropractor. Green's younger sister, Emerson, plays basketball for Cedar Falls High School and is committed to Northern Iowa.