Hawaii basketball team picks up point guard
HONOLULU — In building next season’s roster, the Hawaii basketball team got right to the point.
The Rainbow Warriors secured a commitment from point guard Marcus “MarMar” Greene, who is transferring from Houston Christian. In his lone season at the Southland Conference school, the 6-foot-2, 190-pound Greene averaged 15.1 points (42.7% on 3s) and 3.6 rebounds.
“I’m definitely a threat from outside,” Greene said. “I pride myself in being able to score from almost anywhere on the court.”
Greene was recruited to help fill the void in the backcourt. Combo guard Noel Coleman and point guards JoVon McClanahan and Juan Munoz completed their NCAA eligibility at the end of the ‘Bows’ 2023-24 season.
UH will be the fourth college for Greene, who has one season of eligibility remaining.
Greene grew up in Gilroy, Calif., but attended Archbishop Mitty High in San Jose. Aaron Gordon of the Denver Nuggets also played for the Monarchs.
Greene played his freshman season at Sacramento State. After the Hornets made a coaching change, Greene transferred to Panola (junior) College in Carthage, Texas. He led the Ponies to the region final and a No. 10 national ranking.
In transferring to Houston Christian (previously known as Houston Baptist), Greene said, “I saw myself furthering my career athletically and academically. I thought that was the best choice. Houston is a nice city. Great opportunity.”
Greene started 28 games for the Huskies, who went 6-23 overall. He averaged 32.5 minutes. With another coaching change, Greene entered the portal last month. Soon after, he was contacted by UH head coach Eran Ganot and assistant coach Rob Jones. He took a UH-sponsored recruiting trip, then pledged to the ‘Bows.
“I like the head coach,” Greene said. “Ganot seems like a good dude. I think I can learn a lot from him. That’s a huge plus. … The whole coaching staff has a get-better mentality. They already built a great program, but they’re not satisfied. That kind of mentality is what I’m looking for.”
Greene said he began playing basketball when he was 2. When he was 6, he worked on basketball skills during an after-school program at the Morgan Hill recreation center. He said he became “serious” about the sport in middle school. And now, he said, UH provides an “opportunity to play high-caliber teams in high-caliber games.”
UH signed guard Aaron Hunkin-Claytor in December and received a commitment from former Utah Tech center Tanner Christensen last month.
