This 2,000-point high school scorer turned down Division I offers to walk on to USC
The fact Trae Hannibal’s phone was buzzing early Monday afternoon wasn’t all that newsworthy. Hannibal, a South Carolina basketball signee over a month removed from scoring 62 points in his final high school game, is a popular guy.
But Hannibal’s social media inbox was being filled by someone he least expected. That’s the part that caught the Hartsville senior by surprise.
“Mike rarely uses Twitter,” Hannibal said, “and here he was messaging me for my number.”
Mike Green is a 6-foot-3 combo guard who attends Christian Academy in Myrtle Beach. He’s the school’s all-time leading scorer and has Division I scholarship offers from UNC Charlotte and USC Upstate. He’s played against SC’s top players over the years, from Zion Williamson to Hannibal. Monday afternoon, Green wanted to let Hannibal know he was closing in on a college decision.
“Committing?” Hannibal asked him. “Committing where?”
“I’m coming with you, bro,” Green responded. “Let’s get back to the Final Four.”
Green made it official at 8:02 Monday night: He’s walking on to Frank Martin’s USC program.
“I will be continuing my academic and athletic career at the University of SOUTH CAROLINA,” Green tweeted. “#SpursUp.”
Take it from Hannibal, the centerpiece to Carolina’s ‘19 class, Green’s pledge shouldn’t be an afterthought. He’ destined to help the Gamecocks.
“Mike can score at all three levels,” Hannibal told The State on Tuesday. “It’s scary because when he passes half-court, you don’t know if he’s gonna pull it or if he’s gonna go to the basket. But the thing with Mike is he’s not a selfish player. He’s an all-around player. And of course, he’s a great teammate. So playing with guys like that, it’s only going to make the guys around him better. All of us on the same team is really going to be something special.”
Green, according to MaxPreps, totaled 2,495 points, 610 rebounds and 574 assists in his prep career. He shot 50 percent from the field and 79 percent from the free throw line. The list of schools that called Christian Academy coach Colin Stevens about Green included Charlotte, Upstate, UNC Asheville, Clemson, Campbell and a few Ivies.
So why was USC his preferred route?
“I wanted to challenge myself as a player and a person,” Green said. “The SEC’s a great league. It’s the highest level. So to be able to go out and compete every day against players of that caliber, it’ll really pushed me as a player and a person. I’m ready for the challenge.
“And academically, I can come to USC basically as a sophomore because of all the dual-enrollment classes I’ve done in high school. The fact those credits were transferable, that was a huge part, too.”
Green said he’s been in contact with the Carolina staff for three years.
“It’s the dream the come true, a South Carolina kid playing at South Carolina,” Green said. “Coach Martin is unbelievable. He’s as real as they get. He’ll give it to you straight-forward. He’s not going to sugarcoat anything. When you talk with him, you know that he has your best interest in his heart. So whatever he does for you or towards you, it’s to get you better not only as a player, but as a person.
“Being around someone like that who’s gonna prepare you for life after basketball, I think that’s real important. He does a great job of that.”
While Green starred for Christian Academy on the SCISA level, he spent his summers with the Atlanta-based Southern Stampede on the AAU circuit. That’s the same program that recently hosted USC commit Jalyn McCreary and Cleveland Cavaliers guard Collin Sexton.
“He’s played at a high-level his whole life on the AAU scene,” Stevens said. “I think he’s excited to play for a coach like Coach Martin, who’s gonna get the best out of him. I think he brings a relatively unique skill set with his ability to shoot and pass.”
This story was originally published April 2, 2019 at 12:42 PM.
