Green did the best he could in Hattiesburg

By By Stan Torgerson / sports columnist
March 9, 2004
The first time I remember seeing James Green was in 1980. He was in his first year as a varsity basketball player at Ole Miss and I was broadcasting the games.
Frankly, he was not particularly talented as a player but over his three year career from 1980-82, he played with some of the best the Rebels ever had.
Green's teammates included John Stroud, Elston Turner, Eric Laird, Carlos Clark and Sean Tuohy. Not all at the same time, of course. Stroud's last year was 1980 and Laird's first year was 1982. But Turner was there for two of those years, Clark all three and Tuohy for a couple.
The coach was Bob Weltlich and he led the teams on which Green was a member to the NIT twice and the NCAA once. James was also a member of the 1982 squad that won the Rebels' only SEC conference tournament.
As I said, he was not as talented as the others. He played some, didn't start any as far as I can remember, but he came to work every day and gave it the best he could. He had no future as a basketball player. I don't believe I ever thought he had a future as a coach either. He was quiet and not very outgoing, but Weltlich liked him and kept him around.
I suspect there was a lot of Weltlich's teachings in the way Green did his job at Southern Mississippi, and not just the motion offense and tough defense. He had listened and learned. And he became an outstanding coach just as Weltlich had, even though Bob never played college basketball.
When Weltlich came to the Rebels from an assistant's job at Indiana in 1977, he took over a program that was flat on its back. In 1976, the Rebels had gone 6-21 under Cobb Jarvis. The previous year, the Ole Miss record was 8-18.
When Green complained about lack of support from the Golden Eagles hierarchy, about the run-down condition of the gym, about the lack of fan support, he could honestly say he had been there and done that as a player.
When the Rebels approached Weltlich, they tried to lowball him on salary. Bob said no. Even with the negotiating and his desire to be a head coach, I think Weltlich had to settle for something around $30,000.
Tad Smith Coliseum needed an inside paint job. The coaches needed a decent office. The locker room was tiny and completely unattractive. The scouting budget need to be upgraded. Weltlich had to fight for every dime he got, but fight he did. Eventually the school put more money into the program, the team started to win, and the fans started to come.
I never walked out of the tunnel with Weltlich before a game that he didn't stop and count the house. I think his happiest night was Feb. 2, 1981, when 9,321 people came to see the Rebels against Kentucky the largest crowd in Ole Miss basketball history. It still is.
James Green must have had some of those days and some of those problems as he fought to get Southern Mississippi officials to realize that, when you're recruiting, players always compare what they saw in Hattiesburg with what they saw at other schools. If you can't compete in facilities, the chances are you're not going to be able to compete on the floor either.
I've been in their gym not for a few years, but I remember. It was tired. It needed paint and better lighting. The crowd was always small.
When I first read about Green's statements, I understood where he was coming from. When he finally threw in the towel, I was not the least surprised. I was also sympathetic.
In 1976, Ole Miss won just two games in conference play and lost 16. Weltlich's last two years, the team went 18-12 and 18-13.Other people actually worried about playing us. How good could life get?
Perhaps losing James Green will be good for Southern Mississippi basketball. Maybe it will awaken the school and the fans as to what must be done to make the Golden Eagles competitive. Maybe they will realize that college basketball today is not the same as it was before big money came into the picture.
James Green is a good coach and a good man. The Southern Mississippi officials and the Golden Eagle fans may not realize what he has done for that school and its program, but the next coach certainly will.