Video Greene Thanks Fans

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Following a three-year college career, Kansas men’s basketball guard Brannen Greene has declared for the 2016 NBA Draft and will be leaving KU, Greene and head coach Bill Self announced Wednesday.

“Brannen has elected to declare for the NBA draft with the intent of hiring an agent at some point,” Self said. “I certainly understand Brannen making this decision. We wish him nothing but the very best. He has an NBA skill that I think will translate very well to the next level. We appreciate his efforts during his time at Kansas.”

Greene added, “After talking with my family, weighing the options, and talking with the coaching staff, I feel like it is the best decision for me moving forward to take my talents to play professionally.

“I want to thank my teammates for all the great times we had and all the battles we went through together. I want to thank the coaches for taking the time to work with me throughout my three years. I definitely want to thank the fans. Running out to 16,000 every night, that won’t be replaced at all in any way. I want to thank the fans and everybody I met across the campus for their support.”

A 6-foot-7 Juliette, Georgia native, Greene shot 49.2 percent from 3-point range in 2015-16. He scored a season-high 18 points on 6-of-6 shooting, 5-of-5 from 3-point range, in the season opener against Northern Colorado. A 3-point specialist, Greene had eight games this season where he made multiple treys for the Jayhawks. Of his 44 field goals made, 31 were from 3-point range for 70.5 percent. Greene averaged 5.4 points and 2.1 rebounds per game while pulling down four or more boards 10 times his junior season.

“Brannen is talented and very competitive,” Self said. “This combination should allow him to play professionally for many years to come.”

Greene played in 93 games while at Kansas with three starts. He scored a career-high 19 points in Kansas’ win at Georgetown on Dec. 10, 2014, which included a 5-for-5 effort from beyond the arc. For his career, Greene shot 42.2 percent from 3-point range (81-192) and 87.2 percent from the free throw line (102-117). Included were consecutive free throws made streaks of 21 his sophomore season and 20 in 2015-16.

“It was definitely a big-time high for me when I hit a three in Allen Fieldhouse,” Greene said. “Just to see how the crowd reacted and I had a signature three fingers to the head and everybody ran with that. It was fun being in the Fieldhouse. It gave me a ton of energy every time I played there as it did all of my teammates.”

While at Kansas, Greene won three Big 12 regular-season titles (2014, 2015, 2016), one Big 12 Championship (2016) and advanced to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight in 2015-16. Additionally, he was part of two undefeated seasons in games played in Allen Fieldhouse going 45-1 in the venue.

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