Joe Green’s love for basketball runs deep.  

“Staying in the gym consistently and working on my craft has made me a good player,” Green said. “I’ve played multiple sports like football, baseball and ran track growing up, but none of those touched me like basketball has. If I was ever down or upset, I could pick up a basketball and go play.”

That is evident in his production at Keys as he averaged 20 points per game last season for the Cougars. Head coach Donnie Husband said the point guard is pivotal to a successful season while also giving confidence to the team. 

“He has the ability to dominate the game on both ends when he frees his mind and plays the game with the love he has for basketball,” Husband stated. “My expectations for him are high as a player with his talent and skill. I want him to focus on making his teammates better and being a good communicator. He has the tools to fill any role on our team because of his ability to shoot and set his teammates up and to defend and rebound on the other end.”

Jonia Walker, Green’s sister, and the late NBA star Kobe Bryant are two reasons for Joe’s love of basketball. 

“I watched my sister growing up when she was in middle school and high school and watching her achieve what she did and do the things she did on the basketball court always made me want to go harder and try to become a better player than she was,” Joe said. “Kobe is my favorite player of all time and watching his highlights, documentaries, and interviews and seeing all the effort he put into basketball definitely influenced me to work hard in the gym and in life.”

Green also gives credit to a few others, including his English teacher from his freshman year and to Sequoyah Tahlequahbasketball standout Aiden Hooper. 

“Mrs. Stilwell has been there for me every single day since then and I really appreciate everything that she has done for me. And Aiden Hooper is my brother. We’ve been hooping together and against each other since we were little.”

Green wants to continue being a leader for the Cougars and said that he pushes his teammates every day to get better. 

“They know they can come and ask me anything. I’ve made that clear since the beginning of the year on the first day of practice,” he said. “Our team goal is to make it to the state tournament. We have a great coach that has been there many times. If we trust him and do the work, we definitely have a chance. My personal goals for this year are to make it to state and to get my 1,000 points.”