The Plainsman Press - South Plains College

by Brant Thurmond, sports editor

South Plains College’s Steve Green recently was named NJCAA Men’s Basketball Coaches Association Division I Coach of the Year.

In the 2007-2008 season, Green led the Texans to a 30-5 overall record and a 67-65 National Championship victory against Salt Lake Community College after placing fourth in the regular-season standings of the Western Junior College Athletic Conference.

In his eight years at SPC, Green led the Texans to an astonishing 204-55 record and three WJCAC titles in 2002, 2003, and 2007, along with three Region 5 championships in 2002, 2003, and 2008. Green’s teams have advanced to the NJCAA National Tournament three times and have been in four Region 5 championship games.

Green reached a coaching milestone when he posted his 300th career victory in 2006. He has coached three different schools to a WJCAC championship, including Howard College, Midland College, and SPC.

Green began his coaching career at the NCAA level as an assistant at Arkansas, Lamar and Houston, before becoming the head coach at Howard College in 1988.

For Green, another great milestone recently came after he was named as the coach of the third annual 2008 NJCAA Men’s Basketball All-Star Game.

The game was held April 20 at Scottsdale Community College in Scottsdale, Ariz. Green’s brother, Kelly, coached the Region 1 all-stars against Green’s NJCAA Division I All-Stars.

Two Texans also were selected to play on the Division I All-Star team. Nick Okorie and Luciano De Souza will be on the nine-player team coached by Green.

Okorie, a sophomore guard from Houston, was an honorable mention NJCAA All-American selection and was also named to the NJCAA All-Region V team. He averaged 17.1 points per game, while scoring in double figures 26 times.

Okorie was an All-Conference selection was also named to the All-Tournament team at the NJCAA National Tournament. He recently singed a scholarship agreement to continue his basketball career at Texas Tech University.

De Souza, a sophomore wing from Brazil, averaged 10.5 points and 5.1 rebounds per game during the 2007-2008 season. He scored in double figures 17 times and had three double-doubles. De Souza recently signed a scholarship agreement with the University of San Diego.

Photo Courtesy of Darin Allred/Sports Coordinator