Nate Green entered the 1998-99 season as a promising Flyer freshman with a strong body and hailed work ethic, then backed it up with encouraging performances early in the year. This season, Green enters as a promising Flyer freshman with a strong body and hailed work ethic and hopes to back it up again with encouraging performances early in the year. Confused?

Green earned himself a medical redshirt last season after nagging injuries to a shoulder kept him from competing at 100%. Surgery corrected the problem and after seeing limited action in just six games – the maximum allowed to retain a year of eligibility – Green sat out the rest of the season and watched his team acquire more potholes than the Dayton View bridge. In short, Green is starting over, but he’s really not. Though he’s played only 39 minutes of college ball, everyone agrees that Green is a guy worth waiting for. Sculpted from granite and as sure-footed as an Abrams tank, Nate Green could one day be the next Ryan Perryman. In fact, their games are near carbon copies. Like Perryman, Green’s specialty is rebounding. In just 39 minutes last season he pulled down 12 boards – meaning a full-time starting role might bring 9-11rpg.

Offensively, he only took 5 shots but made 4 of them. His assist-to-turnover ratio wasn’t healthy, nor was his FT shooting, but summarizing a player when they’ve yet to play the equivalent to one basketball game is nearly impossible. Throw it all away. Nate Green gets a fresh start.

Green is expected to battled for the power forward position along with Yuanta Holland, Ted Fitz, and Stephen Bambigbola. There are several reasons to believe Green has a decent shot at becoming a starter. First, Holland lacks the physical strength to battle in the low post, Fitz is prone to mistakes, and Bamigbola lacks any consistency. Green has yet to prove himself of course, but Purnell may elect to take youth and potential over experience and status quo. After all, Bambigbola, Fitz, and Holland had all of 1998-99 to make a lasting impression on the coaching staff. The biggest question is how well Green can come back after a year off and months of rehab. Early indications are that Green is 100% and will be ready to make his move by the season opener in Albuquerque. Some figure him to be even better than last season because of added maturity, familiarity with the program, and another year to get stronger and fitter.

While the incoming class of Brooks Hall and Keith Waleskowski are making their own headlines, the freshman with the largest footprint this year could be Nate Green, especially on a team desperate for muscle, attitude, size, and strength. If Nate turns out to be the achiever we all imagine him as, Dayton’s power forward slot could be a weapon once again and not a liability.