Wildcats to Hold Series of Winter Baseball Camps in December
Known for his high energy coaching style and as one of the top offensive minds in college baseball, Brian Green is in his fifth season as an assistant coach for the Kentucky baseball program.
Green is in his fifth year guiding the Kentucky attack as UK's offensive coordinator, also serving as the infield and baserunning coach after joining the UK staff from UCLA.
During his time in Lexington, Green has guided one of the top offensive units in the nation, with the Wildcats consistently boasting a well-rounded approach among the Southeastern Conference leaders. Green has implemented an offensive style that puts emphasis on speed and athleticism, with an aggressive approach at the plate and on the base paths, a system that proved to brilliantly foreshadow the NCAA change in bats. Green, a four-year assistant coach at UCLA, came to UK as one of the top hitting instructors in college baseball. A tenacious recruiter, Green had tremendous success while on the West Coast with traditional power UCLA. Green was honored as a featured speaker at the 2010 American Baseball Coaches Association Convention in Nashville, Tenn. Green's presentation was on infield defense and double-play specifics, presented in front of an estimated 5,000 coaches.
Green's impact on the UK program led to the Wildcats entire middle infield earning All-SEC honors in 2009, including second baseman Chris Bisson and shortstop Chris Wade. It was the first time in the 117-year history UK had both its middle infielders named All-SEC. In 2010, Bisson earned All-SEC accolades and shortstop Taylor Black ranked second in the SEC in assists, while UK turned the fourth-most double plays in the league.
Using an offensive philosophy geared towards utilizing the athletic ability of his hitters, Green has turned UK's offensive attack into a high-energy threat. In 2010, UK ran all over the base paths, leading the SEC with an eye-popping 120 stolen bases, with Bisson leading the league with 32 stolen bases and Neiko Johnson ranking fourth with 24 stolen bags in just 21 starts.
During the 2011 campaign, Green's offensive approach shined with the new NCAA bat standards, as the Wildcats finished the year ranked second in the SEC in slugging percentage, doubles, homers and total bases, with UK leading the league in hit by pitches and ranking fourth in average and fifth in stolen bases.
Individually in 2011, Green's tutelage could be seen in the development of outfielder Chad Wright, who transformed into one of the top hitters in the nation, signing as a ninth-round MLB Draft pick of the Tigers after his junior season. Green also worked closely to help third baseman Thomas McCarthy bat .371 with seven homers and 39 RBI in his first year as a junior college transfer. McCarthy earned first-team All-SEC honors, the first UK third sacker to earn first-team All-SEC accolades since 1972.
Green's 2012 UK team was a historic campaign, as the Wildcats won a school-record 45 games, soared to No. 1 for three weeks for the first time in UK history, and equaled their best finishes in the NCAA and Southeastern Conference Tournaments in program annals. His 2012 offensive approach finished the season ranked No. 3 in the SEC in average (.294), No. 2 in slugging (.433), No. 2 in on-base percentage (.380), No. 2 in runs scored (383), No. 1 in hits (641), No. 2 in RBI (351), No. 1 in doubles (123), No. 2 in homers (56) and No. 2 in totals bases (942).
His offensive tutelage could be seen directly in the individual 2012 output from freshman All-Americans Austin Cousino and A.J. Reed. Catcher Luke Maile earned All-SEC honors after leading UK with 12 homers, with J.T. Riddle, Matt Reida, Cameron Flynn, Lucas Witt and Zac Zellers forming a dynamic offensive approach.
As the infield defense coach, Green had a tremendous impact in helping UK shatter the school-record with a .976 fielding percentage. In both of Green's last two coaching stops he has directed his club to a new school mark in fielding. Green's coaching could be seen directly in the defensive output of middle infielders Reida and Riddle, who formed a dynamic duo up the middle.
When UK head coach Gary Henderson served as the head coach of Chapman University (Calif.) in 1993, Green was a player. After finishing out his playing career at New Mexico State, Green embarked on a coaching career at his alma mater, serving as a student assistant. Green and Henderson reconnected in 2001, as Green served as the volunteer assistant at Oregon State when Henderson was the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator.
Green helped lead the UCLA Bruins to 115 wins in four years, posting 33 wins in his last three seasons. Green had a huge impact in recruiting the bulk of the Bruins roster, in addition to coordinating the UCLA infield defense and overseeing the Bruins offensive attack.
Green's instruction as the infield coach the past four seasons had tangible results, as Bruins cornerstone infielders Jermaine Curtis (third base) and Brandon Crawford (shortstop) earned All-Pac-10 recognition all four years. Likewise, second baseman Alden Carrithers gained All-Pac-10 honorable mention accolades in 2007 before earning All-Pac-10 honors in 2008.
The Bruins turned a Pac-10-leading 65 double plays in 2008, as Crawford and Carrithers helped steady UCLA's defense up the middle.
Crawford burst onto the MLB map during a 2012 season as the everyday shortstop for the San Francisco Giants. Crawford starred for the Giants in the postseason, as San Francisco won the 2012 World Series.
"You just feel comfortable with him as a player," Crawford said about his relationship with Green. "You can go up and talk to him about anything. It may not be baseball related. He is just an easy guy to get along with and that is what you want in a coach. You don't want to be scared to go talk to them you want to have a conversation with them and be buddies with them afterwards."
In 2007, Green guided UCLA's hitters to a .296 batting average and 51 home runs, the fourth-highest total in the Pac-10 Conference. That spring, Gabe Cohen compiled a .345 batting average, belting 10 home runs and totaling 36 RBI to earn Pac-10 Co-Newcomer of the Year honors with USC shortstop Grant Green.
In his two seasons as the UCLA recruiting coordinator, Green helped secure the No. 13 and No. 7 best recruiting classes in the nation in the fall of 2006 and fall of 2007, respectively, as ranked by Baseball America. Green also played a large role in assisting UCLA land the No. 5 ranked recruiting class in 2005, as rated by Baseball America. Green helped lead the Bruins to three consecutive NCAA Regional appearances, a first in school history, advancing to the Super Regionals in 2007. In 2006, Green's infielders contributed to UCLA's .977 fielding percentage, tops in the Pac-10 and sixth in the nation. Crawford earned freshman All-America honors that season before playing for the USA National Team in the summer of 2006. Curtis gained All-Pac-10 honorable mention honors after leading all Bruin starters with a .325 batting average.
While serving as an assistant at the University of Hawaii in 2003 and 2004, Green doubled as the team's hitting instructor, infield coach and baserunning coach. He also assisted with recruiting efforts. In 2004, Green helped Hawaii head coach Mike Trapasso earn 2004 Western Athletic Conference Coach of the Year honors, and in 2003 he coached two Warriors who earned Freshman All-America accolades.
Prior to his time at Hawaii, Green was an assistant at the University of San Diego for the 2002 season. Green helped the Toreros capture their first West Coast Conference title in school history, as USD led the conference in batting average, runs scored, walks and fewest strikeouts. Head coach Rich Hill gained WCC Coach of the Year honors that season.
In the summers of 2001 and 2002, Green served as head coach of the Kenai Peninsula Oilers of the Alaskan Summer Baseball League. In 2001, Green's Oilers became the only Alaskan League team to defeat the U.S. National Team, winning 4-1.
Green also spent time as a volunteer assistant in 2001 at Oregon State as well as serving stints at Chapman University, Cal Poly Pomona and Riverside Community College. At Chapman in 2000, Green helped lead the school to a third-place finish at the Division III World Series. In 1999, he helped lead Chapman to a 39-5 overall finish. That season, Green guided the Panthers' infield corps, which led the nation in double plays turned.
In 1994, Green began his coaching career, serving as a student assistant at his alma mater, New Mexico State. He played two years of Division I baseball - one at Chapman (1993) and one at New Mexico State (1994). Green spent his first two collegiate seasons playing at Riverside Community College (1991-92).
Green, 41, graduated from New Mexico State with a degree in business management in 1995 and earned his Master's degree in education from National University in 1997.
He is married to the former Becki Francis. The couple resides with their daughters, Emily Rae (nine) and Zoe Addison (three) in Lexington.
QUOTING UK GREAT CHAD WRIGHT
On his relationship with coach Brian Green ... "I came in and dreamed of playing here. When I got here I had a lot to prove. With the help of coach Green, we spent a ton of time in the cages and he helped push me to get better every day to try to make it to the next level. He is one of those guys that is easy to talk to and he really bonds with his players really good. With that kind of personality you can grow really close to him. He really helps you make the adjustment easier from high school to college. From all the pro guys that I have talked to, they are really envious of the relationship we have with coach Green. He is one of the guys."
On how Green's offense can help showcase athletic players talents ... "Obviously when you are a base stealer and someone who gets on base and scores a lot of runs, you want to play for that type of offense. And coach Green's offense played right into my game. He let us run when we wanted to and he had faith in us to do the right things on the bases at the right time. When he shows that confidence in you, it helps you gain confidence in yourself. That was key for me throughout my time at Kentucky."
On playing in the SEC ... "Playing in the SEC, obviously everyone knows is the best conference in college baseball, it doesn't matter who you talk to. Playing there and seeing the pitching and the competition that you have week in and week out, it really prepares you for the competition at the next level."
San Francisco Giants SS and World Series Hero Brandon Crawford on Brian Green
NOTE: During his time as the recruiting coordinator, hitting and infield coach at UCLA (2005-08), Brian Green recruited and coached All-American shortstop Brandon Crawford. Crawford helped lead the San Fransico Giants to the World Series Title in 2012 with clutch hitting and emerged as one of the top defensive shortstops in baseball. Below, Crawford talks about Green's impact on his career and their continued relationship.
On his relationship with coach Green during the recruiting process at UCLA ... "I was getting recruited by a lot of schools. UCLA was up there, along with a couple others. Greeny was someone that I liked because he was so easy to talk to. I could just tell after talking with him a few times that I was going to be able to get along with him. I didn't know much about his experience at that time, but I could just tell that he was someone I could get along with as a coach and be friends with long after he was my coach, which we still are."
On the importance of developing defensively in college ... "Defense was always fun for me. In high school, I always loved taking ground balls and I was pretty good defensively but going to UCLA, I wanted to stay at shortstop. I was getting bigger and I wanted to stay at shortstop and still be able to keep my range and make plays. Greeny helped a lot with my footwork. That was the first time I had ever really heard about rhythm in the infield and he helped me out that way a lot."
On Green's ability to help his develop a pitch-by-pitch focus defensively ... "I have come a long ways. I don't think I was ever an up and down player. I would try my best to take it pitch by pitch but Greeny really harped on that while we were at UCLA. He said that `you can't worry about the pitch before, the at bat before or the error you made earlier that inning. You have to focus on the next pitch and figure out a way to wipe off whatever happened before and focus on the next pitch,' and I have been able to take that to the big league level."
On his short-game during college and reaping the rewards with a clutch bunt in the World Series ... "I think that was just another weapon that I can use and anyone can use if you get good at it. It doesn't even matter how fast you are if you can put it down where you want you can get a base hit. It is huge for anybody. I was a decent bunter in high school and I did bunt a lot at UCLA. A lot of them were for hits and a lot of them were on my own. I ended up getting a lot of sacrifices my junior year, which I kind of give coach Green a hard time about, but obviously it was huge. It was something I worked on a lot in college and I had to use it in one of the biggest at bats of my career in the World Series and I got it down."
On Green's personality as a coach and ability to relate to young, talented players ... "You just feel comfortable with him as a player. You can go up and talk to him about anything. It may not be baseball related. He is just an easy guy to get along with and that is what you want in a coach. You don't want to be scared to go talk to them you want to have a conversation with them and be buddies with them afterwards."
GREEN QUICK NOTES
* During Green's previous four years in Lexington, UK has had 18 total position players picked in the MLB Draft or sign a free agent contact, the most position players drafted in UK baseball history over a four-year period.
* Since arriving in Lexington before the 2009 season, Green has had a dynamic offensive approach with an emphasis on speed and athleticism, with his style helping ease UK into the NCAA transition of the new bat standards in 2011.
* Led UK to a historic 2012 season, ranking among the top three in the SEC in nearly every offensive category, including checking in No. 3 in the SEC in average (.294), No. 2 in slugging (.433), No. 2 in on-base percentage (.380), No. 2 in runs scored (383), No. 1 in hits (641), No. 2 in RBI (351), No. 1 in doubles (123), No. 2 in homers (56) and No. 2 in totals bases (942).
* Green has guided some of the top hitters in program history of the last four years, including junior college sluggers Taylor Black, Luke Maile, Thomas McCarthy, Lance Ray, and local standouts Chris Wade and Chad Wright.
* Green's offensive tutelage can be seen directly in the three-year career of Wright, who hit .339 (211-for-623) with 36 doubles, six triples, 12 homers and 100 RBI, stealing 38 bases.
* Under Green's guidance, Wade earned freshman All-America honors, while also earned All-SEC accolades, with Wright and Chris Bisson also earned All-SEC honors during their time working with Green.
* While the recruiting coordinator at UCLA, Green recruited the corp of the Bruins roster that advanced to the 2010 College World Series, also making highly successful assistant coaching stops at Hawaii, Oregon State, San Diego State, New Mexico State, Chapman College, Cal Poly Pomona and Riverside Community College.
* While at San Diego in 2002, Green helped the Toreros capture the first West Coast Conference title in school annals, as USD led the league in average, runs scored, walks and fewest strikeouts.
* Green's coaching ability can be seen in the development of San Francisco Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford. Crawford earned All Pac-10 honors while at UCLA under Green, with Crawford belting 20 homers and totaling 136 RBI in three years for the Bruins.
