By Hunt Palmer
Trey’Dez Green’s first love was basketball.
In fact, he didn’t step on a football field until the 10th grade. When that happened, a scholarship offer came within hours of his first game.
But Green stuck with hoops throughout high school, averaging 27 points and 11 rebounds per game per game as a junior. Basketball coaches kept calling, but ultimately his five-star status on the football field won out.
Green insisted he’d like to continue playing basketball, and when the Texas Bowl wrapped up, he traded the cleats for sneakers and hit the hardwood. After a three-week acclimation period, Green saw his first action Saturday night at No. 4 Alabama, and he showed why he belonged.
On his nine minutes of action, Green pulled down three rebounds and made the highlight play of LSU’s night, a freakishly athletic block of a three-point attempt that he hauled in and took the other way for a thunderous slam.
TREY’DEZ GREEN TAKING FLIGHT 🤯🤯
SECN | @TreyDez_Green | @SECNetwork pic.twitter.com/CiFKt9QGCN
— LSU Basketball (@LSUBasketball) January 26, 2025
Athleticism has always been Green’s strength on the football field and basketball court. It’s physicality that has to come along on the gridiron. Not so much on the court.
Green immediately becomes LSU’s most physical presence in the frontcourt with the absence of Jalen Reed.
At 6-foot-7 and 245 lbs., he’s a slender tight end. He’s a bruising power forward.
LSU has struggled mightily on the defensive glass, ranking No. 219 in the country and 15th in the SEC. Green can help with that as his minutes increase.
Offensively, Green has work to do. LSU’s offense relies on spacing and adjusting to opposing defenses as opposed to a predetermined set more often than not. Creating a synergy with the other four players on the court takes time. His teammates have developed that since June. He’s had three weeks.
Green was a gifted high school scorer, but that largely came from being the best athlete on the floor. That won’t be the case night in and night out in the SEC. His turnover came on a nonchalant pass that a 5-A high schooler probably doesn’t get his hands on this time last year. Alabama did.
The speed of the game is a big adjustment.
Green won’t be expected to score 15 points per night or play 35 minutes. He’ll be asked to play closer to 10 or 15 minutes at this point. If he can work the defensive glass and offer some rim protection, Matt McMahon and the Tigers will take it. He’s certainly got five fouls to offer up as well.
He showed flashes of that athleticism and toughness on Saturday in a hostile environment in front of a Top 5 team. That’s just life in this SEC. The Tigers still have six games remaining against the AP Top 15.
While the football program will no doubt be watching Green’s nutrition and will want him to participate in spring football, it’s hard to let go of that first love. Green doesn’t plan on it.
