Wendell Green, a junior at La Lumiere School, transferred to the Indiana prep school with the hopes of developing as a player and gaining exposure. As the Lakers point guard walked off the court on Saturday afternoon at the Cancer Research Classic, his goal was already taking shape.
In a rematch against Montverde Academy, Green owned spotlight with an impressive 8 points, 9 assists, 7 rebounds and 3 steals in a 64-51 victory.
During one sequence, Green drove the length of the court before side-stepping a Montverde defender with a smooth behind-the-back dribble and throwing an alley-oop from the free throw line to a soaring Keion Brooks.
Wendell Green with the beautiful drive down the court to Keion Brooks with the alley-oop finish. #CRC2019 pic.twitter.com/nvn3XS9y8Y
— CRC (@CRCBasketball) January 5, 2019
Green was subsequently named the game’s Most Valuable Player for his performance.
“It’s just a blessing,” Green said after being named MVP. “It shows all the work I put in. And I’m just happy right now.”
For those who watched Green last year at Detroit Country Day, Saturday’s performance was more of the same. The 5-foot-11 point guard averaged 20 points, 8 assists and 7 rebounds during his sophomore season. He was named an All-State honorable mention for his efforts.
“I just wanted to get better,” Green said about his move to La Lumiere. “I knew coming here would get me better, playing against great players, and that’s what’s happening right now.”
Moving forward, Green hopes to gain greater exposure, but he also isn’t getting too caught up in the recruiting process yet.
“I do for sure,” Green said when asked if he felt as though he’s been overlooked.
“But I’m not really worried about getting overlooked right now. It’s a marathon not a sprint, I know that. So just keep doing what I’m doing, and the offers will come with winning.”
Green currently holds offers from Detroit Mercy, Eastern Michigan and Oakland with interest from Butler, Purdue, Michigan, Mississippi State, Xavier and others.
La Lumiere improved to 16-0 with the win over Montverde Academy. The Lakers also checked-in at No. 1 in the USA TODAY Super 25 rankings.
Green credits the strong bonds with teammates for La Lumiere’s success.
“We’ve built bonds since August, so we love each other and we want to do it for each other,” Green said. “For the team, Isaiah wants me to get offers. And I want Isaiah to do big things and go to the NBA. So we just all love each other. Keion, Gerald, Paxson we just all love each other.”
Wendell Green and No. 1 ranked La Lumiere will return to action on Wednesday versus Michigan City High School in Indiana.
Michael McLamb is the High School Hoops Editor at Mars Reel. You can follow him: @McLambSays
