Two years ago, when guard Zaay Green tore her ACL at Arkansas-Pine Bluff for the second time in three years, wiping out her fifth season of college basketball, the odds were heavily stacked against her coming back stronger.
Flash-forward to the present, and Green finds herself healthy, back in the SEC and coming off her best season. She now enters her seventh season and is expected to be a key piece for the Crimson Tide.
Green knew she wanted to play basketball growing up, as both her mother and father had played the sport. She knew she could play big-time basketball as early as seventh grade while playing in the Elite Youth Basketball League.
“I was playing in the U16, and I was the only seventh grader on the team and knew I could hang with the older girls,” Green said. “Then I started receiving offers from big schools shortly after.”
It has been a long road for Green. Her first two seasons were spent at Tennessee, where she had a solid freshman campaign, earning SEC Freshman of the Week twice and averaging 9.6 points per game.
Her second season with the Volunteers ended prematurely, as she only played two games before suffering an ACL tear. It appeared Green was ready to blossom into a star, as she was the team’s leading scorer through those first two games.
After recovering from her injury, she transferred to a different SEC program in Texas A&M. The season with the Aggies was a struggle for Green, as she only averaged nine minutes per game and 2.9 points in 17 contests before entering the transfer portal again after the season.
“There were a lot of seniors on the team, and I felt like it took a long time to develop trust with the coaches since I was a transfer,” Green said. “I knew I could play with them but it was more of them having a system going, and that’s what the system was.”
Green then decided to transfer to HBCU school Arkansas-Pine Bluff and saw the results pay off immediately. She had her best season yet, averaging 15.8 points per game, 7.8 rebounds per game and 4.7 assists per game in 26 starts.
But just when it seemed like things were getting back on track for Green, she tore her ACL in a pickup game just before her second season at UAPB began, causing her to miss another season. Even so, Green knew she still had some basketball left in her and rehabbed to return stronger.
“I didn’t want to just stop playing because I’ve been playing for so long now,” Green said. “So what’s the point of giving up now? Pain is only temporary.”
Green credited the people who supported her for making her second ACL tear recovery much easier and keeping her motivated throughout the process.
“My dad and my grandma keep me motivated,” Green said. “And really, the game of basketball kept me motivated as well.”
After returning from her second ACL tear, Green’s sixth season of collegiate basketball saw her rise to stardom again, averaging 16.7 points per game, 7.6 rebounds per game and 5.6 assists per game in 29 starts. She earned All-CAA third team and All-CAA defensive team honors for her efforts.
Green opted to hit the transfer portal one final time after the season and ended up committing to Alabama in April 2024 to play for head coach Kristy Curry, who was excited to finally get Green to come to the Crimson Tide.
“I tried to recruit her two other times, and the third time, she just couldn’t say no,” Curry said. “I can’t wait to see her put a really special finish to her career.”
Green’s decision to come to Alabama was easy. She said her connection with Curry was a “big reason” and reflected on the opportunity to play with talented players.
“Why not want to play with Sarah Ashlee Barker and Aaliyah Nye?” Green said. “Those are two amazing players to play with.”
Green got to play with her new teammates for the first time in an exhibition game on Oct. 30, defeating Columbus State by a score of 95-62. Green performed well in her first action, starting the game and scoring 13 points, grabbing four rebounds and leading the team in assists with five.
Green said her favorite moment in Tuscaloosa was the “Hoops On The Loop” event the basketball team hosted outside Bryant-Denny Stadium.
“I’ve never done anything like that,” Green said. “Like outside and all the fans coming and supporting us, that was very dope.”
Heading into her seventh and final season of collegiate basketball, Green looks forward to helping the No. 24-ranked Crimson Tide achieve success.
“I’m really excited to be here and be a part of the Alabama Crimson Tide,” she said. “I’m excited to get to work.”
