Former Mountain Ridge Star Green Headed to UA

By Kennedy Wilkerson

Five-star Australian recruit, Josh Green, announced Thursday via Twitter, his decision to continue his academic and basketball career at the University of Arizona starting next fall.

Green, a 6-foot-6 shooting guard, is ranked the No. 10 player in the 2019 recruiting class and the No. 3 small forward, per 247Sports composite rankings.

In addition to Arizona, Green narrowed his final six schools to big-name basketball programs including: North Carolina, Kansas, Villanova, USC, and UNLV where his older brother currently plays.

“It’s just the best fit for me as a player,” Green told ESPN in a recent interview. “I’ve had a relationship with coach [Sean] Miller for three years, been a top priority for three years. I have the opportunity to come in as a freshman and have a big impact. That means a lot. Location didn’t matter too much to me, but that’s beneficial, being closer to family.”

He joins fellow UA commit Nico Mannion of Pinnacle High School, longtime friend and AAU teammate. The pair have developed an unmistakable chemistry that will be a major plus for Sean Miller and the Wildcats.

In 2014 Green’s family relocated from Australia and he enrolled in Mountain Ridge High School to start his high school career. Determined to become an elite basketball prospect, he transferred to Hillcrest Prep, where he spent the 2016-2017 season playing alongside NBA 2018 first-overall draft pick, Deandre Ayton.

Green will finish out his high school senior season in Bradenton, Florida with the IMG Academy’s premier basketball program.

“This is probably the biggest decision I’ve ever made,” Green said in the video announcing his decision on twitter.  “I want to look back on it and make sure I made the right choice. I choose to be a Wildcat.”