Van Green - Men's Basketball Coach - Rice University Athletics

Van Green

Title:
Assistant Coach
Email:
Van.Green@rice.edu
Phone:
348-4075

Van Green enters his third season as an assistant coach after a one-year stint as the team's video coordinator. In his third year as an assistant coach, Green serves as the defensive coordinator as well as the recruiting coordinator. As the recruiting coordinator, Green focuses the majority of his recruiting efforts in the state of Texas and the Southeast region. Green is also responsible for coordinating Rice's Men’s Basketball Elite Camp, which takes place every summer and allows high school student athletes to showcase their skills in front of the Rice staff.

Green takes pride in player development and has had success during his tenure with the Owls' guards. During the 2019-20 season, he assisted in developing two players who both set single-season records. Under Green’s tutelage, Ako Adams became the school’s career record holder in three-pointers made (228) and free throw percentage (86.2%). Josh Parrish set the school’s single-season record for field goal percentage (63.8%). Additionally, another Owls guard, Drew Peterson, became the only player in school history to have 300 points, 200 rebounds and 100 assists in one season.

During the 2019-20 season, the Owls had several big wins. Green helped the Owls defeat perennial Ivy League contender Penn and Conference USA regular season champion North Texas. The Owls led the league in three-pointers with 317, which is the second-most in school history, as well as three-pointers per game. Additionally, Rice continued to rewrite school history with first time road wins against UAB and Middle Tennessee as well as defeating an American Athletic Conference team for the first time ever when they defeated East Carolina. The Owls also defeated UC Santa Barbara for the first time during the 2019-20 season.

Green also oversees the Owls Men’s Basketball volunteer outreach program which provides the student athletes the opportunity to be involved in community service throughout the local communities within the city of Houston. In addition to the volunteer outreach program oversight, Green serves on multiple committees at Rice University that helps ensure the Owls retain an elite staff as well as constantly updating criteria for new hires.

Prior to returning to South Main, Green served as an assistant coach at Central Park Christian High School in Birmingham, Ala.

Green originally came to Rice as a graduate transfer for the 2014-15 season, playing in all 32 games and averaging 3.0 points and 2.2 rebounds while being a recipient of the Conference USA Academic Medal and C-USA Commissioner's Honor Roll. He then served as a graduate assistant with the men's basketball team during the 2015-16 season under Coach Mike Rhoades.

Green began his playing career at Columbia University, playing in 37 games over the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons before missing his final two seasons due to an injury. While at Columbia, Green earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology.

Van Green and his wife, Jessica, enjoy their time together reading, going for walks, mentoring community youth, and being actively involved in a local church.