The Harlem Globetrotters came through Ottawa again on their 2017 World Tour on Friday night and brought along their newest addition, Kentucky native Briana "Hoops" Green, who is only the 15 th female player ever to wear the Globetrotters uniform within the team's 91 year long history.
Green says the title means a lot.
"Women have some such a long way, not only in sports but in life in general, and we continues to break barriers each day.", she said. "It's great to be an inspiration. Literally after every game I have a parent come up to me to thank me for being an inspiration to their daughter. That means a lot because like I said, girls can do anything guys can do, if not even better. With hard work, you can do whatever you want."
Green got into basketball at a very early age, and gives all the credit to her older brother, who she looked up to, and wanted to follow his footsteps as a basketball player.
She was discovered last year by the Globetrotters recruiter after she had posted videos on social media and people kept commenting and tagging the team on her posts. She was invited to the tryouts, the team liked what they saw, and rest is history.
"Social media definitely opened up a lot of opportunities for me. You never know what to expect anymore these days!", she laughed.
Green has a very impressive resume. According to her bio, she attended Lexington Catholic High School (Ky.), where she helped the team to a 160-14 record over four years. She also led the team to two state championships, was ranked among the best players in the country, earning All-State and All-Region honors.
She went on to attend the University of Texas - El Paso where she ranks no. 3 on the school's list for all-time wins, with 79, and totaled 650 career points for UTEP. Green also graduated from the university in 2015 in Sports Management.
"My parents were all about me getting my education first because in sports, anything can happen, so you need to have your schooling. When I visit schools, I tell the kids about the importance of education before doing anything else, and to keep focused and make sure to have their priorities straight.", she said.
Green is no stranger to traveling as she has played in Mexico, Czech Republic and Spain, and is looking to see more of the world as the Globetrotters is set to travel in over 30 countries this year and perform in 250 venues in the US.
During her stay in Ottawa, Green visited some local schools promoting her team and talking about anti-bullying. She feels she has the responsibility to educate young people on how to treat others when possible.
"I think we can all relate to it at one point, unfortunately everyone has possibly dealt with bullying at least once in their life. In Globetrotters we try to promote being nice to one another and being kind, and treating people right."
Find "Hoops" Green on Facebook, and her Harlem Globetrotters bio here.
By Laura Collins
