Athlete of the Week: Bishop Guertin's Meghan Green

Meghan Green doesn’t look like a sophomore.

Teams around Division I are finding out that she doesn’t play like one either.

The Bishop Guertin High School girls basketball team is off to a 3-1 start this season, and in each of those four games, Green has reached double figures in both points and rebounds.

In a 54-42 win over Salem on Dec. 14, Green had 20 points and 13 rebounds. Against Manchester Central, she picked up 17 rebounds to go along with 12 points in a 47-42 victory. For her efforts, Green was selected as NH-HighSchoolSports.com’s Athlete of the Week.

“I’ve been really excited,” Green said. “I’ve been practicing all offseason and I’ve been waiting for a really long time to start (this season) because I know we’re going to do really well this year, even better than last year, because we have a lot of really good talent.”

A year ago, Bishop Guertin finished the regular season with a 10-8 record and hosted a playoff game in the first round of the Class L tournament. The Cardinals won that game, but lost in the quarterfinals to Winnacunnet, the eventual champion.

This year, the Cardinals are still a young team, but also a talented one.

“Because we have such a young team, I loaded up with a lot of scrimmages,” Bishop Guertin coach Kevin Gibbs said. “We don’t usually do that many, but because they’re so young, I want to get the kids out on the court and used to each other.”

The Cardinals in some ways have, but the key component for them so far has been their ability to play inside. That’s been a plus, not just because of Green’s aggressive play, but because of the familiarity that some of the perimeter players have with her game.

“What’s really neat too is that the assists leaders on our team are not our point guards, but our wings, who have been playing with her for seven years,” Gibbs said. “They know where she is going to be and where she wants the ball and where to find her. But it’s early. The point guards are still trying to figure out where she’s going to be, where the other two kids know exactly where she is going to be and getting her the ball exactly where she wants it and she’s converting.”

While the scoring has helped, it’s been the presence Green has inside that has given Bishop Guertin a bit of an edge.

“It’s the presence that’s unbelievable,” Gibbs said. “She embraces it, which is nice. She gets nervous, but when she’s out there, she plays older.”

The importance of that presence, of being able to rebound and defend, is something that isn’t lost on Green.

“If a team outrebounds another one, it really can make a huge difference,” she said. “You have to box out and get all the rebounds. It’s kind of natural for me because I’m always under the basket. I know the success that comes from defense and rebounds.”

As a team, the Cardinals have had success going after the basketball.

“Overall, we’re not a big team so it’s important for us to box out and try to get boards, especially on the offensive end,” Gibbs said. “The kids are embracing it, so we’re outrebounding our opponents by 12 or 13 rebounds a game. Everybody is doing whatever it takes to win. If you can get over the glory of having points next to your name, that’s what helps a team win.”