Zaay Green isn’t a secret anymore.
“One of the scouts was saying, ‘I think the secret is out,'” University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff women’s basketball coach Dawn Thornton said. “I think a few people were trying to kinda hide her a little bit, but now, the secret is definitely out. There’s a lot of great movement going in that right direction, and I’m looking forward to what Zaay’s future looks like.”
Green, a guard, has been the star for the Lady Lions this season, and the basketball world has noticed.
A WNBA scout from the Seattle Storm visited UAPB earlier this week to see Green. She came to the Lady Lions’ practice on Wednesday before watching UAPB host Ole Miss on Thursday.
Green said it meant a lot to her for a scout to travel to Pine Bluff.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
“It’s kind of like, I’m really bringing something new to this environment, to this community, to this program, to this HBCU,” Green said. “It’s giving my teammates light, too, because they can do something, too. So, it’s just like, blessed. We all blessed to be in this position right now.”
Green came to UAPB in 2021. The Duncanville, Texas, native began her college career at Tennessee, where she played in all 32 games her freshman season and made 24 starts. Her sophomore year was cut short due to injury, after which she transferred to her home state to play for Texas A&M. She came to Pine Bluff a year later.
Thornton said she has been in contact with scouts since Green arrived on campus.
“It’s not where you go,” Thornton said. “In my opinion, it’s where you glow. That’s what I say all the time, and I told Zaay when she first committed to us and she signed with us is that if you’re a star, they’ll find you. We’re going to do everything in our power to make sure that they find you and that they know that you’re here. We’ve done that.”
Green was UAPB’s leading scorer in the 2021-22 season before missing last season with an injury. She is back healthy this year, and UAPB has benefited.
She has recorded two triple-doubles this season. Against Texas A&M-Texarkana, she scored 23 points with 12 assists and 13 rebounds. She also had three steals. Against Arkansas Baptist, she scored 19 points with 16 assists and 11 rebounds. She also made six steals and blocked two shots.
Green scored 23 points with nine assists and eight rebounds to lead UAPB to a road win at Southern Methodist University, then scored 21 points with nine rebounds in UAPB’s historic 74-70 win at Arkansas on Dec. 10.
Before Thursday’s game against Ole Miss, UAPB recognized Green for surpassing 1,000 points in her career, a milestone she completed in the Arkansas win.
UAPB’s success so far this season hasn’t just been about Green as other players have stepped up to help this team win. Thornton said while it is good for Green to get the recognition she has earned, she is also helping bring attention to other Lady Lions such as Maori Davenport and Starr Jacobs.
“Those players have had aspirations, and [Seattle Coach Pokey] Chatman has been following us for three years since Zaay has been here, so she’s heard those names. They know the names, and if they put in the hard work, they’ll have an opportunity to be seen, as well. So, I look forward to it, having a player like Zaay on this team and how it also brings light to other players that’s around.”
Davenport is averaging 5.5 points and 5.9 rebounds per game this season. Only Green has more rebounds. Jacobs is a transfer from the University of Texas at Arlington who has yet to play for UAPB.
Green and the Lady Lions have one more non-conference game, a Dec. 31 road test at McNeese State, before starting SWAC play. UAPB reached the SWAC championship game last year and has eyes on winning it this season.
Thornton said she is glad Green and UAPB have gotten the attention they have this year, but she believes the Lady Lions deserve more.
“There’s history being made in Pine Bluff, and we’re not getting the recognition that we deserve, that these kids deserve to have,” Thornton said. “We’re not getting it. From a national standpoint, I was even looking at it. There’s no reason that we shouldn’t have even been on ‘SportsCenter’ after we beat the Razorbacks, but we’re still thankful that the coverage that we are getting is enough to get [Green] seen.”