This story originally appeared in the Nov. 17 edition of the weekly LINK Reader. To get these stories first, subscribe here.
Marissa Green was one of 16 Highlands High School girls basketball players attending the University of Cincinnati women’s game against nationally ranked Louisville at Fifth Third Arena. Bluebirds coach Jaime Richey likes to take her team to see college basketball games and deemed the Bearcats’ season opener Nov. 6 at home against Louisville must-see action. Richey’s brother, Jeff Walz, coaches the Cardinals.
Green, a 6-foot-3 junior post player with six Division I college offers, was getting a first-hand look at her future.
“It was very physical and fast-paced, which I would love,” Green said. “It was fun to watch.”
That was the point.
“I like to support women’s athletics, and I also think it’s good that young basketball players see other good players play,” coach Richey said. “You learn so much by watching other players and seeing how the plays are set up.”
Richey, Kentucky’s all-time leading girls high school basketball scorer for 20 years until the record was broken in 2016, was the 1996 Kentucky Miss Basketball and Parade Magazine National Player of the Year as a Highlands senior when she was known as Jaime Walz. She set 12 state records before moving on to Western Kentucky. She broke the Kentucky girls scoring record Jan. 19, 1996, in the very building where she and her players watched her brother coach against the Bearcats.
Now in her 22nd season on the bench, Richey has more than 400 wins as Highlands head coach. She’s one of six Northern Kentucky girls coaches to reach the milestone, cementing her status as one of the central figures in Kentucky basketball annals.
This slice of history personified in her own head coach is not lost upon Green, one of the few Bluebirds who has something in common with her legendary coach. When Morehead State University offered Green a scholarship just before her freshman year, it was the first time a Highlands freshman was offered one since her Highlands head coach in 1992.
Green was attending a Morehead State camp, and the Morehead coach asked if she had any offers. Green, surprised by the question, said she didn’t. But she came home with one. At the time, Green was just 14. Not bad for someone who only wanted to play basketball so she could be with her friends.
“That was definitely smart,” Green said. “All of my friends encouraged me every day.”
Green first stepped on a basketball court in kindergarten as a new player in the Moyer League in Fort Thomas. Little did she know she was on the fast track. Green started strength training with the Legacy Basketball Program in the fourth grade. She made the Highlands Middle School team the first year she was eligible in the sixth grade. She made the Highlands varsity as an eighth-grader, giving her a head start on moving up the Bluebirds’ all-time lists.
For a while, Green thought her biggest accomplishment was dressing for varsity in the eighth grade. Some revisioning could be in order. Last season, Green was named the Northern Kentucky Basketball Coaches Association Division II player of the year.
Green needs 122 points to reach 1,000 in her Highlands career. She needs eight rebounds to reach 500. She’s on a pace that would put her within distance of reaching 2,000 career points and 1,000 rebounds. Green averaged 17.6 points and 9.0 rebounds per game last season.
“We’re expecting a double-double every game,” Richey said. “That’s what we need her to be, and we need others to step up.”
Green has other goals, too. She wants to win a regional championship, something Highlands hasn’t done since 2001. Green would like to wait until after her junior season to make a college decision. In addition to Morehead State, she has offers from Eastern Kentucky, Murray State, Marshall, Illinois State and Gardner-Webb.
With coach Richey and Highlands assistant Victoria Dunlap, who played at the University of Kentucky and in the WNBA, Green has some uncommon resources to help her grow her game.
“They help with skills, playmaking, individual learning and team building,” Green said. “They help me get better, and that’s what I want.”
Richey said Green is a high-upside work in progress.
“She runs the court so well, and she rebounds,” the coach said. “Last year, she made a big jump with her post moves, going left or right. She can finish inside. She can step out and shoot it. To play at the next level, she’ll have to knock down shots on a consistent basis.”
As a sophomore, Green ranked third in Kentucky with 63.7% field goal shooting on 333 shots. Fewer than a dozen Kentucky girls who qualified shot better than 60% last season.
“There’s a lot she can do,” Richey said. “She’s a nice player, and she’s only going to get better.”