CEDAR FALLS – UNI men’s basketball junior guard AJ Green has announced he will forego his remaining year of collegiate eligibility and remain in the 2022 NBA Draft. The decision came ahead of the NCAA’s June 1st evening deadline for early draft entrants to withdraw in order to retain eligibility.
“The past month has been a tremendous learning experience for me,” Green said in a statement announcing his decision. “Most notably, it indicates that my hard work is paying off, and I will continue to trust this moving forward. I believe at this time it is best for me to remain in the NBA Draft and begin my journey of playing professional basketball. I want to give a huge thank you to all of Panther Nation and everyone that’s supported me throughout my time at UNI.”
Green, a two-time Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Player of the Year, worked out with a number of NBA teams during the pre-draft evaluation process throughout April and May. He also earned an invitation to the NBA G League’s Elite Camp in Chicago earlier this month.
“We are so happy and excited for AJ,” said UNI head men’s basketball coach Ben Jacobson. “He has earned every bit of this opportunity to remain in the NBA draft and begin his professional career. AJ has said many times, “the work matters”. He’s also lived it each and every day. He’s ready for this step and is going to be a terrific player in the NBA”.
The Cedar Falls native was part of 51 total victories and two MVC regular season championships during his UNI career, which began with a standout freshman season in 2018-19 that earned him MVC Freshman of the Year honors, one of many during his four years donning the purple and gold. Green earned three All-MVC team honors during his career, including a pair of first team selections in 2020 and 2022. Academically, Green was a two-time recipient of the MVC’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award (2020, 2022), and was also a finalist for the 2022 Lou Henson National Player of the Year Award, given to the top mid-major player in Division I.
Having averaged 17.8 points per game, Green finishes his collegiate career 4th all-time in program history in points scored (1,769), 2nd in made three-point field goals (266), 1st in three-point field goal attempts (704), and 1st in career free throw percentage (90%). Green scored a career-high 35 points twice during his time as a Panther, the first coming on Jan. 4, 2020 against Bradley, and again this previous season in a win at St. Bonaventure, while also setting a new program record this past winter with a streak of 48 consecutive made free throws, tied for 5th longest such streak in MVC history.
The 2022 NBA Draft will be held on Thursday, June 23 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, with the selections being announced live on ESPN and ABC beginning at 7 p.m. CT.
