by IRVINE, Calif. – Redshirt senior Center Brad Greene was selected as one of 30 candidates for the 2020-21 Senior CLASS Award.
To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition.
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
The men’s and women’s candidates will be narrowed to two fields of ten finalists in late February, and those names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will then select one male candidate and one female candidate who best exemplifies excellence in the four C’s of community, classroom, character and competition.
The Senior CLASS Award winners will be announced during the 2021 NCAA Men’s Final Four® and NCAA Women’s Final Four® this spring.
Greene is the first UCI men’s basketball player to be recognized as a candidate for the award.
Classroom
Greene is a double major in education science with a specialization in children’s learning and development and sociology with a double minor in anthropology and Native American studies.
Greene carries a 3.22 GPA and has earned 2020 NABC Honors Court, Big West Commissioner’s Honor Roll, and Dean’s List honors five times. Greene is on track to graduate at the end of the academic year.
Character
Greene is a team captain and has been a leader on the UCI basketball team all four years. Shedding over 80 lbs, Greene underwent a dramatic physical transformation from his freshman year to his senior year by putting work in the weight room and in nutrition. Leading on and off the court, Greene is an example of hard work and physical transformation.
Community
Greene, a Native American and tallest member of the Paiute-Shoshone Reservation in Lone Pine, California, aims to help Native American’s circulate to college. Greene has been a keynote speaker at NABI (Native American Basketball Invitational) and is determined to share his story to help other Native Americans pursue college and collegiate athletics.
Greene has also spoken to Native Americans on the UCI campus who are looking to attend UCI and has spoken at several events in the local community. After graduation, Greene plans to continue to be a catalyst for positive change in the Native American community.
Competition
Greene was a Big West Honorable Mention selection as a junior in 2019-20 and led the conference in rebounding and was second in blocks, helping UCI win the Big West regular season title for the second-consecutive year.
Greene currently ranks 15th in career rebounds at UCI with 610 and also has 712 career points and counting. Last season, he set the Bren Events Center single game record with 21 rebounds in a conference game last season.
He is currently second in the Big West and leads UCI in rebounding, 7.50 rpg, and third on the team in scoring, 10.4 ppg. Greene has posted three double-doubles and led the team in scoring on four occasions this season.
For more information on each of the candidates, please visit http://www.seniorclassaward.com
