Arizona Wildcats newcomer Josh Green brings toughness, defensive mind-set from Down Under

Having already made all-state teams in nine different sports at age 10, a Sydney-area athletic prodigy named Josh Green soon fell in love with another one.

This sport required his athleticism, leaping, passing and quick decision-making. Toughness helped, too.

But Green gave up Australian rules football when his family moved to Arizona in 2014.

“I played it probably three years and it was something I kind of picked up on later,” Green says. “I didn’t realize I was good at it, so I continued to play. You know, I think if I still was in Australia, I’ll probably be playing Australian football, honestly.”

The Greens’ move turned out to benefit the basketball world instead and, this season at least, the Wildcats. On both ends of the court.

What was a top 5 defense during Arizona’s Elite Eight seasons of 2013-14 and 2014-15 has dipped noticeably since then, to No. 29 in overall efficiency in 2015-16 and 2016-17, to No. 83 in 2017-18 and to No. 63 last season. Possibly as a result, the Wildcats finished at or below expectations in each of those seasons.

But Green’s 6-foot-5-inch size, 6-11 wingspan and leaping ability could quickly become a foundation of a defensive turnaround this season, potentially combining with the veteran perimeter defense of Dylan Smith, the interior ruggedness of junior forward Ira Lee and maybe even the shot-swatting capabilities of freshman 7-footer Christian Koloko.

There’s evidence that Green can do it — not only from his high-level club-ball play for West Coast Elite, and high school careers with Hillcrest Prep and IMG Academy, but also from what he did with the developmental academy of the Greater Western Sydney Giants.

In Aussie rules football, that is.

“I think (it helped) my dunking, definitely, jumping off one feet and being able to go vertical, going after rebounds,” Green said. “That’s definitely helped out, and just having a sense of what’s around you, your reaction skills and everything like that, I think it translates a lot.

“Certainly for boys that’s been proven. Australian rules football and basketball — they’ve done studies and it’s really closely related.”

With that background, Green’s athleticism mean the Wildcats received a player this season who can help all over the floor. He’s best in the open court, flying up for dunks or drives to the basket, but also an improving 3-point shooter and, perhaps just as notably to UA coach Sean Miller, drips with defensive potential.

Miller has already compared Green with Nick Johnson, the athletic former UA guard who began his college career as an electric dunk artist and evolved into one of the Pac-12’s top defenders, earning Pac-12 Player of the Year honors in 2014.

Except Green is even bigger, and longer, than Johnson.

“He’s every bit 6-5, a very physical player with really long arms and his wingspan is about 6-11 coming in,” Miller said. He has “some of the things that may be loved about Nick Johnson — where he jumps, how athletic he is, how versatile, the number of things that he can do on defense and offense.

“Yet maybe the best is yet to come because you know his skill will continue to catch up with his athleticism.”

Maybe so. But there’s already been plenty of highlights, even on defense. At least that’s how UA guard Nico Mannion describes it, having played with Green for West Coast Elite during their high school summers.

“He’s one of the best defenders I’ve ever played against,” Mannion said. “He’s a freak athlete and can do so many things on the floor. I remember during the summer going into 11th grade, (in a club game) he switched out on a guard I was guarding, a little tiny quick kid that I was having trouble staying in front of. Then someone set the screen, Josh switched it and just pressured him and got a five-second (closely guarded) call.

“He’s 6-(5), 210 pounds and has a 6-11 wingspan. You just don’t see a lot of athletes like that.”

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Green also may have the required mindset. Rather than talk about scoring or dunking or even passing, Green said at the Pac-12’s media day that defense was going to be a major part of his game.

“I love defense,” he said. “I’m competitive. The systems (Miller) has been putting in, the switches we’ve been doing, the way we jump screens – everything about it has been great. Obviously, I’ve made my mistakes but I’ve been able to watch film and fix it.”

What’s more: Green is finally at full health after undergoing surgeries to both shoulders over the past two years. He suffered a torn labrum in his right shoulder as a junior, undergoing surgery that kept him out of the July 2018 travel-ball tourneys, and then struggled with the left shoulder as a senior until blowing that one out last April in the Hoop Summit game.

“Before my right shoulder was done, I’ve always had a little bit of a left shoulder issue. I just didn’t know really what happened,” Green said. “I never dislocated it as bad as my right. So I never thought anything happened.

“But I always kept tweaking it. And then at the Hoop Summit, that’s when I knew it was done because it dislocated badly. Nico saw it in the locker room.”

Because he kept playing at IMG last season, Green says, people really don’t know that this season is really his first at 100 percent.

But how was anyone really supposed to know?

Against high-level competition at IMG last season, Green averaged 16.3 points, 2.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game and shot 45.6% from 3-point range. He capped it all by scoring 19 points to lead IMG over La Lumiere in the Geico Nationals championship game. Over three games in that tournament, he averaged 11 points per game on 44.8% shooting.

“Everybody just kept saying he was a really good open-court player and I don’t think people gave him enough credit for his overall basketball IQ and shooting,” IMG coach Sean McAloon said.

Green said the shoulder mostly felt “weak” during his senior season, though it didn’t limit him until he tore it in the Hoop Summit game.

Green rehabilitated the injury over his first few months with the Wildcats last summer and was cleared in late August.

While McAloon said he kept his players accountable defensively, Green was very good off the ball with maybe some improvement needed on the ball.

“If he does, that adds another significant aspect to his game,” McAloon said.

Green said the shoulder injury kept him from returning last summer to Australia. He still hasn’t been back since he left five years ago, but probably will be soon enough, thanks to basketball.

Australia already tried to recruit him to play U19 competition and it would not surprise him if he someday appeared on its senior team.

“That’s always been a goal of mine,” Green said. “I’m on their radar for the Olympic team next year and, hopefully, I can try to make that happen.”

Meanwhile, Green is also projected as a first-round NBA draft pick, which could begin a long career in pro basketball.

After that, maybe someday, he just might take his athleticism full circle. Former Wildcat standout Chase Budinger traded in a seven-year NBA career to pursue beach volleyball, a sport in which he also excelled as a youth. Green said he might also split up his career, too.

Someday, at least.

“That would be an awesome scenario,” Green said. “It’s definitely something I’ll consider. But at the same time, I’m focused on basketball. ... I just love getting out in practice and working as hard as I can.”