Sophomore guard Max Green did not step on the floor for the first 30 minutes of Northwestern’s 110-63 win over Cleveland State on Monday night.
After being one of the first players off the Wildcat (3-0, 0-0 Big Ten) bench in their season-opening win over Mercyhurst, Green’s sluggish performances gave way to others jumping ahead of him in an 11-deep pecking order.
But when he checked in for the first time at the 9:23 mark in the second half Monday, everything changed.
First, a steal leading to a breakaway dunk. Then a corner three. A three from the top of the key. A pull-up heat check three. And finally, picking up the ball at the logo, Green unleashed from unfathomable range, finding nothing but net and sending Welsh-Ryan Arena into a frenzy.
Just over three minutes into his second-half cameo, Green had racked up 14 points, breaking out after being made to wait for his opportunity throughout much of the evening.
“He was ready,” coach Chris Collins said postgame. “And not only was he ready, but he had a great attitude. He was talking on the bench; he was enthusiastic. (I) went to him there and to see him have that spurt was awesome for his confidence.”
Green had one last trick up his sleeve less than two minutes later, as he reprised his steal-and-score maneuver that kick-started his eruption of scoring.
After thumping down a two-handed jam, Green continued over to the student section to high-five a fan, transmitting his contagious energy to the home crowd.
“He’s wired a lot like I am,” Collins said. “That’s one of the reasons why I like him so much. I think we have a lot of similarities in our mindset, and like you see with some of the swagger he plays with.”
The sophomore transfer arrived in Evanston after a Patriot League Rookie of the Year season at Holy Cross, where he averaged 14.9 points per game. Green relied substantially on distance shooting during his freshman campaign, taking 5.9 threes per game — nearly half of his total shot attempts — and connecting on 38%.
For the La Grange, Kentucky native, the switch from playing nearly 35 minutes per game and comfortably leading his team in field goal attempts to impacting the game in short stints has required adjustment. The 6-foot-6 guard averaged 14.5 minutes in NU’s opening two contests and went just 2-for-8 from the field.
Yet, after the ’Cats trounced Boston University 76-52 on Friday, Collins said Green’s time was coming. He encouraged Green to adapt to his lower volume by being aggressive whenever he had the ball in his hands, knowing the team would eventually need his sharpshooting to break a game open.
“It’s probably the first time he’s had a coach tell him to shoot more,” Collins said. “When he shot the long one, he kind of pointed over to me like, ‘I got you, coach,’ because I want him to shoot the ball.”
Green’s late-game explosion could not have been a better advertisement for NU’s newfound depth, as the 11th player in Monday’s rotation quickly shot up to join four teammates in scoring at least 15 points. But, a player of Green’s caliber going over three-quarters of the game without seeing the floor also illustrated the increasing headaches Collins faces in managing his rotations.
Collins said his early overlooking of Green was not a pre-determined plan but instead a spontaneous dynamic brought about by game trends. He added that it would be hard to fit all of his key pieces in on any given night, especially with senior forward Nick Martinelli, junior center Arrinten Page and junior guard Jayden Reid all playing “starter’s minutes.”
“It’s just really hard to play 11 guys, and I’m feeling the flow of the game,” Collins said. “I really didn’t come into the game saying, ‘I’m not gonna play him in the first half.’”
Collins has repeatedly stressed that different players will take up leading roles from night to night, and so it has proved through three games.
After playing just 10 minutes against Boston University, senior guard Justin Mullins led the team in minutes with 25 on Monday, showing off his athleticism and improved shooting in a 16-point, 4-rebound, 3-assist performance.
Sophomore guard K.J. Windham, meanwhile, has taken a backseat over the last two games after providing a shooting spark off the bench in NU’s opening-night win over Mercyhurst.
“I just want all these guys to come in with confidence and not play any mind games, because I’m not playing them,” Collins said. “I tell (them), ‘Don’t play mind games with what my role is. Just be ready to go when you’re called upon, come in and play well. And if you are, and the team’s doing well, you’re gonna stay in.’”
Green’s flurry of shooting from beyond the arc may earn him more extended minutes as the ’Cats leave Welsh-Ryan Arena for the next five games, or it could be a sign that his most meaningful impacts this season may come in flickers and bursts of brilliance.
Either way, Green showed Monday just how little time he needs to take over a game.
“Max is a microwave,” Page said. “He can get hot really quickly, and he did that.”
Email: [email protected]
Related Stories:
— Men’s Basketball: Page’s transcendent form persists as Northwestern mauls Cleveland State 110-63
— Rapid Recap: Northwestern 110, Cleveland State 63
— Captured: Men’s Basketball: Northwestern controls game against Boston University for a 76-52 win
