Phil Greene IV has spent virtually his entire St. John’s career as an afterthought.
His decision to commit to the school was met with little fanfare, and he was overshadowed as a freshman by the bigger prospects Steve Lavin brought in, players such as Maurice Harkless and D’Angelo Harrison. Even this year, the preseason talk was all about Harrison’s reinstatement to the team following last year’s late-season suspension and how dynamic freshman Rysheed Jordan would fit in.
“I feel [that I’m overlooked] every time I look at the TV and at the papers. But I just keep to myself, and I know it will show eventually,” Greene said last week. His Red Storm host Longwood at Carnesecca Arena on Tuesday. “It’s something it me that keeps me going, pushes me harder. I’m real competitive, so that stuff gets to me. It motivates me.”
Four games into the season, it’s becoming increasingly harder to look past the gritty 6-foot-2 guard from Chicago.
After all, he has been one of the team’s best players — one of its most consistent performers. With Jordan suspended for Friday night’s game against Monmouth for violating undisclosed team rules and Harrison on the bench in foul trouble, Green made sure the flat Red Storm (3-1) didn’t lose, pouring in 22 points and adding a career-high eight rebounds.
He reached double figures for the second straight game, after scoring 16 points in a 67-63, come-from-behind win over Bucknell three days earlier.
“Phil is capable of doing this every night,” Harrison said. “We try to tell him to be more selfish and he’s finally taking shots — finally. It just makes us even harder to guard.”
Health is a major factor. Greene played with a painful torn labrum in his hip last year, though he did average just over 10 points per game. After a slow start in the team’s first two games due to offseason surgery, Greene is feeling better, and his play backs up that claim.
“I know what I can do and I’m confident with myself,” he said.
Greene isn’t a big talker, his game isn’t flashy and he wasn’t a highly-rated recruit. Yet, as Jordan has gotten off to a slow start, Greene’s value has become obvious, especially now that he’s healthy.
“We joke around, saying he’s back to the old Phil,” Sampson said. “This is what we expect out of Phil. It’s not a surprise to us, but I think it’s a surprise to the outside.”