Senior Merdic Green surpassed the 1,000-point plateau in Truman’s loss to Lansdale Catholic in the title game of the Trojan Holiday Classic last Friday.
By Mary Jane Souder
Alan Munford took one look at Merdic Green in action and knew he was inheriting a special talent.
“I knew right away that he was going to be special based on what I saw of him in the middle school,” the Harry S. Truman coach said. “One of the things we do in our program is we go and watch kids in elementary school and middle school to see what we have coming up.
“I remember four years ago going to look at him at Armstrong, and the first thing I thought was, ‘Wow, this kid is a man amongst boys. He can pretty much do whatever he wants to do on the court.’”
Munford’s assessment was on target.
Green made an immediate impact when he reached high school. After averaging eight points a game as a freshman, Green averaged 15 points as a sophomore and last year upped that average to 18.5 points a game.”
“Merdic is a kid that we don’t have to run plays for because he can do pretty much all of it,” Munford said. “He can shoot the three, he’ll get (points) off of hustle, he’ll get it off of offensive rebounds, he’ll get it off of creating his own opportunities within the offense.
“Believe it or not, that’s a wonderful tool to have because you don’t have to draw up offenses to try and get him a shot because he can create his own shots and his own opportunities within the flow of the offense. It’s been a pleasure coaching Merdic because he’s made my job extremely easy on the offensive end because of how well he can score the ball.”
Merdic went into last Friday’s title game of the Trojan Holiday Classic against Lansdale Catholic needing 26 points to reach the 1,000-point milestone, and Munford – himself a 1,000-point scorer – spoke to his senior star prior to the game.
“I said, ‘Hey, you need 26 points for a thousand. I want you to just play your game. Try not to think about it too much. It’s going to happen. If it doesn’t happen today, it will happen tomorrow,’” Munford said.
If Green was feeling pressure, he certainly didn’t let it show, scoring 28 points to go along with six assists and eight rebounds. He reached the magical plateau when he buried a foul shot in the closing minutes of the game.
“I already knew I was going to get my thousand, so I really wasn’t worried about it,” Green said. “I just wanted to go out there and just play.
“When I scored it, I didn’t know until they announced it. It did feel good. Everybody started clapping. I gave my dad the ball. It was just a great feeling.”
Green’s name will be added to the list of thousand-point scorers on the banner in Truman’s gym, joining such greats as Tyrone Lewis and Tayron Thomas.
“Since I was a freshman starting varsity, I always dreamed of being on the 1,000-point list” Green said. “It means a lot. It means that my accomplishments are finally being noticed.”
Green is the program’s first 1,000-point scorer since 2006 and the first in Munford’s five-year tenure at the helm.
“It’s one of those things as a player when you’re close to it - I know for me it was tough because I was nervous,” Munford said. “I didn’t know how to fully respond to it, so for Merdic to keep his cool the way he did and to shoot as well as he did from the floor and free throw line – he really removed it from his mind.
“It wasn’t just scoring. It was a nice performance overall.”
In addition to talent, Green, according to his coach, possesses the right mentality.
“His attitude towards the game, his respect for the game shows in his performances night in and night out,” Munford said. “Merdic puts in a lot of time to improve his game, he puts in a lot of time to get stronger.
“His offseason regiments are what we want all our of student-athletes to be. He works extremely hard to become better at the things he needs to become better at.”
Green is getting looks from many college coaches, and according to his coach, the school that lands his talents will inherit more than just a standout basketball player.
“He’s an awesome kid,” Munford said. “He’s got a great personality. His father and mother have done a very good job with him. He’s a respectful kid, he’s mindful, and he likes his teammates. He does well in school. He’s just an all-around good kid. He’s the type of kid you want in your program.
“You know the younger kids are watching him, and he’s a great individual to watch because that’s what we want all of our student-athletes to become.”
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