Lance Greene is having a great year. A senior at UMass Dartmouth, the 6’7” center already has 69 points and 53 rebounds for the Corsairs men’s basketball team. He is responsible for 12 of the team’s 20 blocked shots and boasts a 17.3 points per game average.

“He’s a dominating force right now,” said head coach Brian Baptiste. “He’s grown into a respected young man and he’s an outstanding basketball player.”

A major in liberal arts, Greene transferred from UMass Lowell after registering for his sophomore year. Though he is not a team captain, Greene exudes a positive presence on the team, one that has developed over his college career.

“He is one of the leaders on the team and he leads by example,” Baptiste said. “He’s not a vocal kid; he’s more of a quiet type leader.”

The Corsairs are 2-2 this season, averaging 73.5 points per game. A team in transition, there are new and seasoned players just now gelling together.

“I have high expectations for this group and Lance will be the focal point of the team because of his presence in the middle with not only his scoring inside, but his shot blocking and rebounding,” Baptiste said.

“The last game [the Corsairs beat Brandeis, 68-54], I saw a basketball team out there instead of a bunch of individuals,” he added. “The team has a lot of room for improvement and I see it going in that direction now.”

Greene began playing basketball when he was 9 years old. His mother signed him up for several basketball camps, developing his love for the game. At one time, he played for the Brockton Blackhawks. Greene grew up in Mattapan and then moved to Dorchester. He became a star player for Charlestown High.

Greene credits his current coach with driving his improved performance this year.

“He made me work hard. He was like my high school coach basically,” Greene said of Baptiste. “He’ll get on me for everything like being a better player. But he’s a good coach, though.”

After graduating, Greene hopes to get a contract with the Celtics or otherwise search for a job. Before this season, he did not play because of his grades but did play the full 2007 season at Western Texas College in Snyder, TX.

Last week, Greene was named the Little East Conference Co-Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for averaging 18.3 points and 15.3 rebounds in each of three games, racking up double-doubles each time. “It was okay even though we didn’t get the win, the championship win,” he said of the Corsairs 66-61 loss to Bowdoin in the Hampton Inn Classic. With two players at 6’9” and 7’ and strong players all-around, Bowdoin proved to be a formidable foe.

“I had to work harder than I usually do,” Greene said.

“It’s a different team this year. I know that I have to step up because I’m a senior,” he said. “I did it in high school, same way. I knew I had to be the leader out there on the floor just to make people better, get people more confidence to be the player they can be, get on them when they make bad mistakes.”
But like Baptiste, Greene has faith in his squad.

“I think we have a good team this year and we can go far as far we can take it. We just have to play together as a team; we’re still building our chemistry,” he said. “Hopefully, everything comes together. Every day in practice [we] get better every day, [I] make sure all my teammates are getting better every day.”