Advertisement
basketball Edit

Jazlen Green is excited to expand her craft at Cal

The latest player to join the Cal women’s basketball program is 2019 guard Jazlen Green out of Lakeside High School in Lake Elsinore, CA. Green caught up with GoldenBearReport.com shortly after her commitment, explaining why she chose Cal and what she’s looking forward to about being a Golden Bear.

Green’s relationship with Cal started as soon as her sophomore year, but a season-ending injury caused things to cool. It was after her successful return to the court that Cal started to really take serious interest.

“Cal started looking at me when I was a sophomore, but I end up getting hurt my junior year and sat out the whole year, so I lost that connection,” Green said. “We reconnected this past year at the Nike TOC and they were surprised when they saw me back out there playing.”

It wasn’t just Cal that started taking notice of Green’s game. Several other power five programs started reaching out as well. What helped separate Cal from the rest of the competition was the people, community, and the opportunity to get a degree from the world’s top public university. Undecided on what to study, Green is looking forward to exploring all the different options that Cal has to offer.

“I was considering Washington University, Oklahoma State, Colorado University, those were the last three out of many,” Green said. “I chose Cal because of the people. I’m a family person and when I got to Cal that’s what I felt immediately from the coaches to the players to the admin. I felt that. But not only that, the degree that I would receive from Cal holds a lot of power.

“The campus is beautiful and so is the community. You can tell how involved the city of Berkeley is with the university. They have a lot of pride in the school. What I like most about it is that town feeling, and that closeness makes me think of home…I’m actually undecided as of right now. But there’s so many things out there that I can choose from which I can’t wait to explore up there.”

Green really looks forward to getting to know her future teammates. While she doesn’t know them too well at the moment, she can already tell they’re a group that she’s going to really bond with both on and off the court.

“As of right now I don’t know have a relationship with either two but give it a couple months and I can tell you all about it,” Green said of incoming freshmen Lauren Fields and Cailyn Crocker. “I’ve played against Crocker in my earlier years but that’s it. But I’m definitely looking forward to growing a relationship with both Crocker and Fields and all the girls.

“When I went up for my visit I definitely felt like with time my relationship with each one of my teammates can only grow. The one I bonded with the most would have to be with Smith. Being that we have the same birthday we just clicked. We get each other! I also bonded a lot with Styles, Forbes, Olson, and Richey. I just can’t wait to see what the year brings with the girls!”

If there’s one word that can describe Green’s game, it would be versatility. She does a really good job of scoring, rebounding, getting steals, and doing whatever her coaches ask of her. She hopes to be a player that Lindsay Gottlieb can use in a lot of ways.

“What I think I can bring to Cal is energy and creativity and passion,” Green said of what she hopes to bring to the program. “Being a player who has the ability to take over and dominate a game. I’m very versatile. I can bring up the ball, play back to the basket, shoot well from the field and beyond the arc.

“I’m also a defensive threat that uses length and athleticism to my advantage to play in the passing lanes, block shots, and be good at help defense. I have the ability to lead a team through encouragement, focus, and energy. I’m working on becoming more explosive and gaining the necessary amount of strength to be able to be a great defender at that level and being more aggressive on both sides.”

While there are a lot of things that Jazlen Green is looking forward to about Cal, the opportunity to grow and expand her craft seems to be at the top of her list. Green believes in her talents and sees Cal as the perfect place to take her abilities to the next level:

“I’m looking forward to expanding my basketball knowledge and expanding my skill set. I’m also looking forward to reaching my full potential every day. Building a bond with my teammates that will last forever as well as developing into the player that coach needs me to be to help the team win.”

Advertisement