ThomasCostello
Guest
Back from injury, Madison Greene to bring leadership to Ohio State women this season
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Ron Schwane/NCAA Photos via Getty Images
With less than two months before the start of the college basketball season, get to know the new roster by getting reacquainted with its senior-most leader.
College basketball season is fast approaching and Land-Grant Holy Land is getting you ready with a series of player previews. Before the season starts this fall, check back regularly for more player previews, schedule news, features, and more heading into the 2024-25 Ohio State women’s basketball season.
Following the end of the 2023-24 season, Ohio State women’s basketball added a Big Ten regular-season trophy to its cabinet but lost the foundational veteran core that helped reach those heights. Whether it was through graduation or transfer, the 2024-25 season was guaranteed to be a vastly different-looking Buckeyes side.
The lone returning Buckeye from the 2019 recruiting class is Madison Greene. This season, the senior-most guard on the roster, after years of injuries and recovery, has one final year to play and is vital to Ohio State’s success both on and off the court.
Name: Madison Greene
Position: Point Guard
Class: Graduate Senior
High School: Pickerington Central (Pickerington, Ohio)
2023-24 Stats: 2.7 ppg, 0.9 rpg, 1.6 apg, .350 FG%, .355 3FG%, .786 FT%
Greene’s stats last season don’t jump off the page, but the fact that the local Central Ohio guard played is arguably the feel-good story of the title campaign.
After starting her NCAA career starting 21 games as a freshman on a side not known to rely heavily on freshmen, the three years that followed weren’t a roller coaster but what felt like a constant downhill.
Following a shortened season due to COVID-19, Greene suffered the first of two ACL tears in November of 2021. The first came in practice before the start of the 21-22 season, meaning Greene never made it onto the court in the Buckeyes' first of two regular season titles in three seasons.
Greene returned the next season though, and moved back into the starting lineup with the injury to starting guard Jacy Sheldon, However, Greene tore her ACL again, in a December win against the USF Bulls.
So, head coach Kevin McGuff was understandably cautious about moving Greene back into games, but she did within 12 months of her second season-ending injury. That didn’t mean Greene jumped back into the starting lineup. It was more of a slow and methodical return into the rotation. McGuff used the guard off the bench, averaging 12.5 minutes per game and only going over 20 minutes in four of her 24 appearances.
Despite all the injury issues for Greene, the guard showed glimpses of her play before her first tear. On January 11, 2024, against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, Greene posted season highs in points (16) assists (5), and minutes (22).
When Greene is at her best, she’s a methodical and smart point guard. Greene isn’t one to go for the quick shot, instead allows plays to develop and finds open teammates. That doesn’t mean the guard won’t shoot, averaging 13.4 points in the shortened COVID year where Greene started all 15 games for Ohio State.
Greene finds spots to shoot from deep, but won’t attack the basket as frequently as some Buckeye guards of past seasons.
Her career shows the amount of trust she’s built with coach McGuff, who always speaks highly of the guard’s basketball IQ and ability to run the offense. Greene’s shown veteran college basketball guard traits since early in her career and expects that to continue through her final season of eligibility.
The starting lineup for Ohio State seems like it's set in stone. Incoming transfer shooting guard Chance Gray is a lock for the second guard role, and the hybrid senior guard/forward Taylor Thierry won’t see her name off the starting lineup unless it's for an injury. Plus, Cotie McMahon and transfer forward Ajae Petty are both as close to 100% picks for inside the paint as they can be in the offseason.
Point guard is the one spot where there are questions. Specifically, who does McGuff go with to start the season at guard?
It’s likely that Greene is slated for a sixth-player-type role in the McGuff system. Despite her experience in the system and trust built, Ohio State welcomes its highest-ranked recruit ever in guard Jaloni Cambridge.
If Greene starts, it’s likely early in the season as a means to allow Cambridge to get used to the system. However, the learning curve for Cambridge is short, with the guard already having ample experience playing for different coaches in high school, with Team USA in its youth system, and in the countless showcases Cambridge has performed in over her high school career.
That doesn’t mean Greene won’t be important for this team. Cambridge will learn a lot from Greene’s knowledge of not only how the Buckeyes play but also the adjustment of being a college basketball player.
Greene’s roller coaster of an NCAA career makes her the perfect mentor for a young and exciting incoming freshman.
As a freshman, Greene was already controlling games with her play on both sides of the court. Here are highlights including a 22-point game for the then-freshman Greene.
Continue reading...
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Ron Schwane/NCAA Photos via Getty Images
With less than two months before the start of the college basketball season, get to know the new roster by getting reacquainted with its senior-most leader.
College basketball season is fast approaching and Land-Grant Holy Land is getting you ready with a series of player previews. Before the season starts this fall, check back regularly for more player previews, schedule news, features, and more heading into the 2024-25 Ohio State women’s basketball season.
Following the end of the 2023-24 season, Ohio State women’s basketball added a Big Ten regular-season trophy to its cabinet but lost the foundational veteran core that helped reach those heights. Whether it was through graduation or transfer, the 2024-25 season was guaranteed to be a vastly different-looking Buckeyes side.
The lone returning Buckeye from the 2019 recruiting class is Madison Greene. This season, the senior-most guard on the roster, after years of injuries and recovery, has one final year to play and is vital to Ohio State’s success both on and off the court.
Name: Madison Greene
Position: Point Guard
Class: Graduate Senior
High School: Pickerington Central (Pickerington, Ohio)
2023-24 Stats: 2.7 ppg, 0.9 rpg, 1.6 apg, .350 FG%, .355 3FG%, .786 FT%
Last Season
Greene’s stats last season don’t jump off the page, but the fact that the local Central Ohio guard played is arguably the feel-good story of the title campaign.
After starting her NCAA career starting 21 games as a freshman on a side not known to rely heavily on freshmen, the three years that followed weren’t a roller coaster but what felt like a constant downhill.
Following a shortened season due to COVID-19, Greene suffered the first of two ACL tears in November of 2021. The first came in practice before the start of the 21-22 season, meaning Greene never made it onto the court in the Buckeyes' first of two regular season titles in three seasons.
Greene returned the next season though, and moved back into the starting lineup with the injury to starting guard Jacy Sheldon, However, Greene tore her ACL again, in a December win against the USF Bulls.
So, head coach Kevin McGuff was understandably cautious about moving Greene back into games, but she did within 12 months of her second season-ending injury. That didn’t mean Greene jumped back into the starting lineup. It was more of a slow and methodical return into the rotation. McGuff used the guard off the bench, averaging 12.5 minutes per game and only going over 20 minutes in four of her 24 appearances.
Despite all the injury issues for Greene, the guard showed glimpses of her play before her first tear. On January 11, 2024, against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, Greene posted season highs in points (16) assists (5), and minutes (22).
What to Expect
When Greene is at her best, she’s a methodical and smart point guard. Greene isn’t one to go for the quick shot, instead allows plays to develop and finds open teammates. That doesn’t mean the guard won’t shoot, averaging 13.4 points in the shortened COVID year where Greene started all 15 games for Ohio State.
Greene finds spots to shoot from deep, but won’t attack the basket as frequently as some Buckeye guards of past seasons.
Her career shows the amount of trust she’s built with coach McGuff, who always speaks highly of the guard’s basketball IQ and ability to run the offense. Greene’s shown veteran college basketball guard traits since early in her career and expects that to continue through her final season of eligibility.
Prediction
The starting lineup for Ohio State seems like it's set in stone. Incoming transfer shooting guard Chance Gray is a lock for the second guard role, and the hybrid senior guard/forward Taylor Thierry won’t see her name off the starting lineup unless it's for an injury. Plus, Cotie McMahon and transfer forward Ajae Petty are both as close to 100% picks for inside the paint as they can be in the offseason.
Point guard is the one spot where there are questions. Specifically, who does McGuff go with to start the season at guard?
It’s likely that Greene is slated for a sixth-player-type role in the McGuff system. Despite her experience in the system and trust built, Ohio State welcomes its highest-ranked recruit ever in guard Jaloni Cambridge.
If Greene starts, it’s likely early in the season as a means to allow Cambridge to get used to the system. However, the learning curve for Cambridge is short, with the guard already having ample experience playing for different coaches in high school, with Team USA in its youth system, and in the countless showcases Cambridge has performed in over her high school career.
That doesn’t mean Greene won’t be important for this team. Cambridge will learn a lot from Greene’s knowledge of not only how the Buckeyes play but also the adjustment of being a college basketball player.
Greene’s roller coaster of an NCAA career makes her the perfect mentor for a young and exciting incoming freshman.
Highlights
As a freshman, Greene was already controlling games with her play on both sides of the court. Here are highlights including a 22-point game for the then-freshman Greene.
Continue reading...