Green Signs with Turkish Champs

After spending one season in Italy, former St. Bonaventure men’s basketball great Marques Green will return to Turkey for the second time in his pro career in 2008-09, after signing a two-year contract to play for defending Turkish champion Fenerbahce Ulker. Since his graduation in 2004, Green has spent the last four seasons playing professional basketball in Europe, including a one-year stint in Turkey with Casa TED Kolejliler Ankara in 2006-07.

Fenerbahce – Green’s new team ­– finished third (21-9) in the regular season standings in the top league in Turkey in 2007-08. They cruised through the Turkish Play-Offs, taking the best-of-seven championship series in five games over T. Telekom. Fenerbahce then advanced through group play at Euroleague Play-Offs before losing in the quarterfinals. Fenerbache’s postseason run earned it a final ranking of No. 32 on www.EuroBasket.com’s Top 100 Poll.

Last season, Green led Air Avellino to a 23-11 regular season mark and a semifinal appearance in the Italian SerieA Play-Offs. Green was named the All-Italian SerieA Guard Of The Year and All-Italian SerieA Import Player of the Year after averaging 13.3 points, 6.7 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 3.6 steals per contest. Both of those yearly accolades also put Green on the All-Italian SerieA and All-Italian SerieA Imports teams, respectively. Green also led the league with an 89 percent clip from the free throw line and finished second in assists and third in steals.

Green finished his career as a Bonnie as the highest scoring guard in school history with 1,734 points, good for seventh place on the all-time list. Green holds program records for career assists (657), steals (325) and three-point field goals (281). A three-time Atlantic 10 All-Conference selection, Green is the conference’s all-time leader in assists per game (5.9), while ranking second in career steals, third in steals per game (2.9) and fourth in career assists. As a senior in 2004, Green led the nation with 107 steals.