Coach lauds Morgan Green for AmeriCup performance
Published:Wednesday | November 9, 2022 | 12:13 AM
JAMAICA’S WOMEN’S fifth-place finish at the FIBA 3x3 AmeriCup basketball tournament, played on the weekend outside the FTX Arena in Miami, was largely down to the talent and drive of player Morgan Green, said national team coach Nick Turner.
Turner revealed the Ujbuda BEAC player had only arrived from Hungary, where she plays, a day before the tournament but infected the team with her quality, enthusiasm and tenacity.
“I thought they played really well. Whenever you are able to add a player like Morgan Green to the roster, you will stand out no matter what sport you are playing.
“When you have good players, you are going to show up great. The girls did that and they were fun to watch,” Turner beamed.
“I knew Ashlee (Morgan) and Tracey-Ann (Kelly) from the year before and I knew both were fighters. Trishawna (Higgins) and Morgan were girls that I wasn’t really familiar with, so I didn’t really have a lot of expectations.
“But Morgan Green came to the tournament from Europe, literally straight to the tournament from Budapest. She landed a little late but she came out on fire the next day, which was awesome.
“The attitude she brought permeated throughout the rest of the team and you don’t find a lot of ladies with that combination of skill and mental toughness that it really takes to compete at an elite level and she’s got that,” he said.
The Oneil Brown-coached team topped Pool C to advance to Sunday’s quarterfinals, with Green leading the way.
She scored 11 points in their 18-17 win over number-three seed Chile and eight points when they toppled world number-seven ranked Argentina 12-8.
DEFEAT
Although Colombia proved too much for the Jamaicans in the quarterfinals, Green bagged five points in the effort, a 17-9 defeat.
Turner was also full of praise for coach Brown, who, he disclosed, assembled the squad and did a great job managing the players.
“Colombia were a little more skilled all the way through and they took advantage of the turnovers that we made.
“We could probably shoot a little better, as that can create a lot of other opportunities so that is probably an area to get better. So they can improve, but I thought they were awesome.
“Coach Brown put a good group together and he did a really good job. He deserves a pat on the back and should be recognised for what he did.”