Deion Green Making the Most of the Moment

By typical standards, it’s been a pretty quiet summer for athlete Deion Green. Instead of the hectic training and travel schedule that comes with playing for Team Canada – one that mirrors the tenacious pace with which he plays the game – Green is enjoying the slower tempo of the pause.

A native of Victoria, B.C., these days Green is based in London, Ont. with his girlfriend Molly and their 2-year-old son Eli. While basketball training remains part of the routine, Green is cherishing dad duty and the extra quality time with his son.

“It’s great since I probably wouldn’t have gotten to spend this kind of direct one-on-one time with him until I potentially retired or at least slowed down playing as much, because usually the summers are so packed full of travel with the national team,” said Green.

“I’ve been getting in as much training as I can around Eli and Molly’s schedules. But otherwise I’ve just been hanging out with Eli. We like to go on big walks while Molly is in class. I call them our morning adventures.”

The pair brought a basketball on one of those adventures to shoot some hoops.

“Eli had a pretty wicked time shooting at the hoop. He’s too short to hit the net but he’d throw the ball and then go chase it. Then I’d shoot it in and he’d lose his mind,” laughed Green.

While basketball will take centre stage again at some point, for now Green is making the most of the moment.

He hopes that society will also seize the moment with the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement and create lasting change to eliminate systemic racism. While Green said he has never experienced racism in sport, he has experienced it in one way or another in everyday life.

“I just hope the BLM movement continues to push for more change. Any sort of positive change is good. The main thing that everyone thinks of with what we’re seeing right now is the issue of police brutality, but there needs to be more acceptance within society as a whole. There needs to be more change with the way that people think towards and see Black people, and the way that the media portrays Black people. You’re judged a little differently for being Black and all of that needs to change.”

Green prefers to be judged for his expertise on the basketball court. When the game does resume, he feels confident that he’ll be as up to speed as possible given the circumstances.

He has been breaking in a new basketball chair during the pause and is anxiously awaiting the opportunity to give it a proper test drive on the hardcourt once he can get back in the gym. In the meantime, he’s been putting the new wheels through their paces outdoors.

 

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Nothing like the wind in your fro @rgkwheelchairs @sunrisemedical @wheelchairbasketballcanada #trainingoutside #ramps #grind

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His routine includes a heavy rotation of ramp training for chair skill development, in addition to ball-handling and shooting practice. He recently got access to a hoop and is particularly focused on fine tuning his shooting prowess, not only to make up for lost time but also to round out that part of his game.

“I’m getting up as many shots as I can. That was already one of my main goals in training before lockdown. I want to become more consistent in scoring, whether it’s shooting, taking layups, or hitting fadeaways or free throws. I’ve been shooting as much as I can and trying to get my touch back. It’s been a bit rough but it’s progressing forward again.”

While his offensive skill set continues to evolve, Green is known as a workhorse on the court. He will no doubt put in the work with the hope of representing Canada at a second Paralympic Games next summer.

Green made his Paralympic debut four years ago at Rio 2016. But after a lackluster performance by Canada in Rio, Green is looking for a little redemption with his sights firmly set on Tokyo. While he has some personal goals in mind, he is focused on showing the world what Team Canada can truly do and leaving it all on the court in 2021.

“I’d like to be a part of a team that can be proud of the training we put in and the end result when we get to Tokyo. I want to score some buckets, get lots of minutes and perform well, but I moreso want be part of a team that is proud of the effort we put in as a collective. Whether we win a medal or come in sixth place, I just want to be proud of what we did together and know that everybody gave it their all.”

Follow Deion @dngyyj and the rest of Team Canada on their journey:

Facebook: @wheelchairbasketballcanada
Twitter: @wcbballcanada
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