USF Athletics

After delivering on Monday, Greene comfortable with high expectations ahead of marquee matchup with No. 21 Auburn

November 18, 2021

GAMEDAY INFORMATION

USF (2-1) vs. No. 21 Auburn (2-0)

Friday, Nov. 19 | 7 p.m.

ARENA: Amalie Arena | Tampa, Fla.

SERIES: Auburn leads, 5-1 (first meeting since 2011)

TV: ESPN+

RADIO: iHeart Radio Bulls Unlimited

TWITTER UPDATES: @USFMBB

TICKETS: Purchase

 

By Joey Johnston

When your Twitter handle is "Left-Hand Assassin,'' when you already have surpassed 1,000 career points in college basketball, when you ooze confidence and swagger, the expectations are high.

At an important flashpoint in USF's early men's basketball season, the game was placed in Javon Greene's capable left hand.

He delivered.

"It's fun coming to a new atmosphere and putting on a show for the fans … because that's what they want to see,'' said Greene, a 6-foot-4 guard and George Mason transfer whose 3-pointer with eight seconds remaining deflated North Carolina A&T 56-54.

The Bulls lived on the edge all night, trailing by a game-high 14 points with 8:30 remaining, then 51-39 with 6:40 to play. From that point, USF went on an improbable 17-3 run, culminating in Greene's dramatic dagger.

"We're glad to win, but we have to play better — much, much better,'' Greene said.

Especially Friday night, when it gets serious. That's when USF (2-1) faces the No. 21-ranked Auburn Tigers (2-0) in a marquee non-conference game at downtown Tampa's Amalie Arena.

Coach Bruce Pearl's Tigers, who reached the Final Four for the first time in program history in 2019, feature 6-foot-10, 220-pound freshman Jabari Smith, who was named preseason second-team All-SEC before playing his first college game. Smith, who was ranked as high as No. 6 nationally among the incoming college freshman recruits, will add to an already formidable Auburn front line, which includes 7-1, 245-pound Walker Kessler.

Auburn was picked fifth in the preseason SEC poll (behind Kentucky, Alabama, Arkansas and Tennessee).

"This is a great opportunity for us to see where we stack up against a very talented nationally ranked team,'' USF coach Brian Gregory said. "We're going to need to rely on the experience of players like Javon Greene. We need to demand even more from him.''

Greene, a 6-foot-4 silky-smooth performer from suburban Atlanta, had 1,139 career points, 535 rebounds, 199 assists and 162 steals in four seasons at George Mason before entering the transfer portal.

He's reliable from long range (ranking third in the Atlantic 10 Conference one season at 45.1 from 3-point range). And he can be downright unstoppable from the free-throw line (career percentage of 80.8, including 90.5 as a sophomore and 26 consecutive makes at one point).

Greene considers himself more of an all-around player than a scoring machine, although he has a history of putting up big numbers. He set the George Mason arena record with 39 points against Richmond. He broke the Henry County High School record with 58 points — inexplicably missing four free-throw attempts in that game — and also had a 46-point effort.

At USF, he's working alongside electrifying sophomore point guard Caleb Murphy, but also feeling his way on a roster that includes 10 new players (eight transfers, two freshmen).

"There are a lot of adjustments when you come to a new program,'' Greene said. "Hands down, though, I need to do more. And that doesn't mean taking more shots. It might mean making one more pass. It might mean playing defense, getting in the gap, making the steal. Whatever it takes to help the team win.''

Gregory, who first took notice of Greene when USF and George Mason were in the same Cayman Islands tournament field (the Bulls and Patriots did not play), said he loves the versatility.

"Javon can score the ball and he has a great feel for the game,'' Gregory said. "He's a high-level guard. We think he'll have a huge impact for us. As a Super Senior, if he can take his game up another level, he will be absolutely tremendous.

"If he's open for the 3, he's going to take it. He's not going to pass it up and try to drive it. He has a tremendous feel for the game.''

Murphy also had a tremendous feel for the game in the final minutes of Monday night's heart-stopping victory against North Carolina A&T. After a steal, Murphy attacked the basket and got an old-fashioned three-point play. He hit a pull-up jumper, cutting it to 54-51.

Then, with the Bulls down by a point and gaining possession after a missed one-and-one, Murphy calmly worked with the ball, exploring the perimeter, driving toward the inside on the left wing, then cycling it back to Greene, who was left open.

Bang.

"It was all trust in Caleb,'' Greene said. "He drove, had a jump-stop finish and had the ball in his hands. He turned and looked at me. He trusted in me and I had the confidence to shoot it.

"I've played a lot of ball, but that might be my first one (game-winner). After the shot, a lot of emotions ran through my head. I can't really tell you what I was thinking.''

Gregory, USF teammates and Bulls fans were probably unified in their thoughts. Hopefully, it's the first of many highlights for Greene, who wants to cap his college basketball career with a memorable season at USF. Monday night was a pretty good start.

 

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About USF Men's Basketball

The USF men's basketball team is led by head coach Brian Gregory, who enters his fifth season in 2021-22. Gregory was introduced as the 10th head coach in program history in March of 2017 after previously leading programs at Georgia Tech (2011-16) and Dayton (2003-11). Gregory spent nearly a decade as an assistant coach under Michigan State's Hall of Fame head coach Tom Izzo and helped the Spartans win the 2000 NCAA National Championship. Gregory owns over 300 career head coaching wins and six postseason appearances, including the 2010 NIT Championship with Dayton. In his second season at the helm of the Bulls, Gregory led the team to the best win turnaround in the NCAA, the most single-season wins in school history and the 2019 College Basketball Invitational championship. 
 
USF has retired three numbers in its 48-year history: Chucky Atkins (12), Charlie Bradley (30) and Radenko Dobras (31). The Bulls have earned three NCAA tournament bids, appeared in the NIT eight times and won the 2019 College Basketball Invitational.
 
For tickets, contact the USF Ticket Office at 1-800-Go-Bulls or by going online to USFBullsTix.com.

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