Black college presence at women's Final Four
HAL LAMAR
Special to BCSP
Don't worry, that's not a clever way of saying she knocked somebody out or that her voice and character were so boring that she put people to sleep.
Actually, the Tuskegee University graduate is an anesthesiologist
at Dunwoody Medical Center and told this writer that her action was triggered
by patient response. "I have to talk to patients before I put them under and a lot
of them told me I had a very pleasant voice."
That started her on a trail that has now led to public address announcing duties with the NCAA Women's Final Four. She's been doing that job now for three years, pioneering in 2001 as the first African-American to handle those duties when the Big Dance was in St Louis Missouri.
For Green, a confessed "sportsaholic," getting a chance to sit behind a microphone in a gymnasium full of screaming fans and describe fouls, shots, and reading announcements to them is a dream come true. "I've been a spectator at about 10 Final Fours, " she said. "Now I have the best seat in the house."
Getting to the Big Dance for her was no picnic, however. The road to the Final Four started in 1997 when she volunteered to do PA work for Agnes Scott College, a liberal arts college in Decatur Georgia. "I remember when I first started, there were about 50 people in the gym and that included teams, officials and ticket takers," she said. "I knew this was what I wanted to do and figured that this would allow me to make mistakes and hone my skills."
Green had her sights on bigger fish and landed one the following year when she began doing PA announcing for Atlanta's Emory University. "I then submitted a demo to Georgia Tech and they selected me. I've been doing that for them the last four years."
Green also managed to squeeze in a few local tournaments and two ACC tournaments thanks to conference Commissioner Bernadette McGlade. That exposure landed her a spot at the scorers table of the NCAA Eastern Regionals in Greensboro, North Carolina where she became acquainted with Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference assistant Commissioner Brenda McCoy. This led to doing the announcing for two MEAC conference tournaments.
By now she felt ready for the big challenge and submitted a demo to the NCAA in 2001. "I was ecstatic when I got the letter saying I had been accepted. I wasn't surprised really, because I felt very confident about my abilities. I had paid all my dues and felt confident about being selected."
McCoy, who had a hand in selecting Green for the 1999 East Regionals and the 2001 Final Four, said she was impressed with the professionalism she brought to the job. "I'm real proud of her. She is most efficient in the profession. Her preparation reminds me of a coach preparing his team for a tournament or a game. She does her research and her homework. As a game announcer, I am sure the best for her is yet to come."
In getting the plum Final Four announcing job, Green's career and accomplishments mirror those of Jackie Bowe, a Norfolk State graduate whose ties with the MEAC and particularly former Commissioner Charles Harris helped him land the same announcing position for the men's Final Four in 2001 and 2002.
Green says her next step is to latch on with a radio or TV station doing sports. She has prepared herself for that too, having already hosted a program on Atlanta public access cable TV.
But for now, she has been busy getting herself mentally prepared for the Final Four which took place this week at Philips Arena in Atlanta.
"I'm always excited when this time of year comes around but I make sure I am well prepared because they say that good preparation prevents poor performance."
© 2003 Azeez Communications, Inc.