Irvine’s Green to Test the Waters

UC Irvine Coach Pat Douglass said Friday that guard Jerry Green, the Big West Conference basketball player of the year, intends to see how much interest he attracts by adding his name to the list for the upcoming NBA draft.

Green, a 6-foot-3 junior who led Irvine to its first regular-season conference title last season, has not hired an agent, meaning he can withdraw his name by June 20, a week before the draft, and maintain his college eligibility.

“Jerry didn’t really come in and seek direction from me,” Douglass said. “This is pretty much what he thought he should do. It’s in his corner and I want to honor that. It’s his call.”

A university spokesman said Green has not made himself available for comment and that the athletic department learned of his intentions when it was contacted by an NBA representative this week.