Indiana senior guard Devonte Green has had his share of detractors in the IU fan base during his four years with the program.
On Friday Green was asked what he would like to say to the less supportive segment of the Hoosier fan base as he prepares to play his final home game on Saturday afternoon against Wisconsin.
But before he could begin to answer, his fellow senior De’Ron Davis, sitting to Green’s left and likely imagining what might be said if Green could really speak his mind, couldn’t fight back the laughter.
Davis’ reaction turned into both of Indiana’s seniors enjoying an extended laugh that took the tension out of the room.
When he regained his composure, Green addressed the question after first scolding Davis.
“Don’t do that,” Green said to his teammate of four seasons.
Green started by acknowledging that there is plenty that he would like to say that will remain unspoken.
“I mean I probably can’t say what I really want to say, Green started, still smiling, Davis still laughing.
Green’s inconsistent play is well documented at this point. IU’s second leading scorer at 10.7 points per contest has had five games with 16 or more points, and eight with five or less.
That inconsistency, couple with what has been perceived to be poor decision making at times, has led to Green becoming a common target of disgruntled fans.
But the senior guard has learned to draw inspiration from both the negative and positive feedback that he hears.
“Honestly, I thank all of them, the good fans for sticking with us. I’ve had some positivity over the years,” Green said.
A common refrain in the Indiana fan base has been a suggestion that there is a “Good Devonte” and a “Bad Devonte” that have emerged during the highs and lows of his career in Bloomington.
From Green’s vantage point, the same dichotomy holds true in the IU fan base.
Green also recognizes the good Indiana fans and bad Indiana fans, or positive and negative if you will, and the latter segment has helped prepare him for the next stage of his life.
“Even with the negativity though, it has only been fuel to the fire, so I thank them too because they helped me learn how to battle adversity. I want to keep playing (professionally). People aren’t always going to like you or tell you what you want to hear. I think they’ve taught me a lot. I’ve learned a lot from them.”
You can watch all of Green and Davis’ comments as they prepare for their final home game with Indiana here.
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