March 21, 2013
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - To the Lady Lion's Nikki Greene the world is a canvas and she is looking to add the final details to an already impressive work of art on the hardwood.
In her four seasons on campus, Greene has already placed herself among the Lady Lion elite and will tie Kelly Mazzante for the most starts in school history when she steps onto the floor vs. Cal Poly on Sunday.
The Diboll, Texas native admits the highlights of her career have already painted a pretty impressive work of art, but she is hoping to put the finishing touches to it this postseason.
"If I could paint a picture of my career I would definitely say it would be incomplete," Greene said on Selection Monday. "I have accomplished so much since my freshman year and to have the opportunity to be thrown in [the starting lineup] right away and contribute has just been amazing."
Greene arrived on campus with a blank canvas, wanting to keep an open mind and experience new things, along with the excitement of having a true post coach for the first time in her career.
"I told myself to come in with a clear mind," said Greene. "I wanted to learn new things, adapt and redefine who I was. I also wanted to develop [as a player]. In high school, I didn't have a post coach...so I really looked forward to coming here to work with coach Walseth."
She quickly made her presence felt and now finds herself among some elite company which has helped the program reach new heights. Before her arrival in Happy Valley Penn State had suffered four straight losing seasons and hadn't made an NCAA Tournament appearance since bowing out to Liberty in the first round of the 2005 postseason.
Fortunes would quickly change for the Blue and White. Along with help from some equally talented teammates and the third-year head coach that was charge with the rebuilding of the Lady Lions, Greene has helped Penn State win two regular season Big Ten crowns and progress from WNIT to NCAA second round to a Sweet Sixteen berth last season.
The headlines don't often include her name, but she has a bigger impact on the game than most reports would lead you to think.
"I think Nikki likes to be in the background," said head coach Coquese Washington. "That's just her personality. She likes that Maggie (Lucas) and Alex (Bentley) and all the guards get the headline because she can just go about her business. We would not have been able to elevate this program to the level that we have without the presence of Nikki Greene."
Greene has written her name in Sharpie all over the Lady Lions career charts, sitting among the best in school history in a multitude of categories. She is the only player in program history to score over 1,000 points, pull down 900-plus rebounds and swat more than 200 shots in a career. Her totals currently rank 31st (1,105 points), fourth (907 rebounds) and second (213 blocks), respectively, in the history books.
Her 20 rebounds vs. Cal State Northridge on Nov. 24 marked the second 20-plus carom effort of her career (Indiana, 2011) and make her one of just three players in program history to own multiple 20-board games.
Greene plans to make a run at playing professionally, whether that is in the WNBA or overseas, at seasons end. When the team traveled to European this past summer, she fell in love with the culture and elegance, especially the French inspired architecture.
"I would love to go overseas and play if I don't get an opportunity in the WNBA," said Greene. "This past summer, we went to Europe land I feel in love with the European style and culture."
Greene also knows that basketball won't always be there for her, so she plans to continue honing her craft during the season, in the off season or even on flights, as she has done throughout her collegiate career. She recently began to incorporate sculpture into her repertoire.
"In regards to my career as an artist, I would love continue to paint if I play professionally. I want to [paint] during the season and in the offseason, basically as much as possible," Green said. "I am pretty sure I will have more time to paint and would like to continue sculpture."
For now the 6-foot-4 center will head back to the warm climate that she called home during her prep days. That also means southern hospitality, sweet tea and family. I can only imagine it isn't easy to get from Diboll, Texas to University Park, Pa. so the opportunity to pile in the car, cross state lines and watch the Lady Lions is a welcome venture for her loved ones.
"I am excited to go to Baton Rouge," Greene said with a smile. "My family will be able to come down since it is close to my hometown and that means a lot. Our team is ready to compete against teams outside of our conference. We're just ready to get back on the court."
This weekend Greene's canvas will be the purple and gold clad hardwood inside the Pete Maravich Center and the senior wants to change the color scheme to one that reflects the theme of her unfinished work; blue and white.
"The fact that we have been in the NCAA tournament three years in a row means a lot," Greene said. "From my freshman year to now, you can tell how much the program has grown, but I still feel like there are some unfinished areas in my portrait that I want to complete."
--NITTANY LIONS--