Green, Yaniv

Green is the Israeli national team's starting center. He is an athletic, energetic rebounder who also plays defense with flair.

Birth and Death Dates:
b. May 16, 1980

Career Highlights:
A product of Bnei Hertzelyia, Green helped their youth team to the 1998-99 national title and was promoted that year to the senior team. It took only a handful of games for him to establish himself as Hertzelyia's starting center. In the 1999-2000 season Green averaged 10.9 points and 5.8 rebounds per game.

Yaniv was starting center for the Israeli under-20 "miracle boys" of the 2000 European Championship. In the second game of the tournament, the youngster caught the eye of scouts with his 20 point, 9 rebound performance in Israel's 73-56 win over Lithuania. The following night, Green added a 16-point performance against Macedonia, helping Israel coast to a 68-57 victory. In the quarterfinal, the national team upset France, 72-55, with a 10-point contribution from their star center. The next step was to tackle Pau Gasol and Spain in the semifinal. The Spaniards were in the midst of a two-year winning streak and were expected to slaughter the Israeli underdogs. Green was his team's top scorer, posting 12 points in the game, to give Israel an astounding 69-65 triumph over the heavy favorites. In the final, however, Green's 10 point performance could not help the team overcome Slovenia as they went down 66-65 in a closely fought contest.

His success in under-20 competition brought Green to the attention of Maccabi Ra'anana. The small-town team was trying to establish itself as a rival to Maccabi Tel Aviv at the time and signed Yaniv to a lucrative contract. His minutes were cut, but he still managed a creditable performance in his first year at Ra'anana with an average of 6.9 points and 5.0 rebounds per game.

In 2001, Yaniv starred for the under-20 team again, this time in the World Championship. Green scored 18 points and gathered 9 rebounds in an authoritative 95-69 win over South Korea in the opening match. Another outstanding performance came against Argentina, when Green's 11 points and 8 rebounds contributed significantly towards Israel's 80-63 victory. Against the United States, Yaniv scored 18 points, 8 rebounds and two blocks although the Israeli team fell to the U.S., 94-78. Israel finished the tournament seventh in the world.

In the 2001 European Championship, Yaniv averaged 5.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. Yaniv played in every game of the 2003 European Championship for Israel. He scored 4 points in his team's 86-81 loss to Germany in the first game. Green was more effective in Israel's 94-62 loss to Lithuania, managing a 12-point performance.while playing only in the second half. His defense and 8-point tally were essential to the 91-75 victory over Latvia, a result that guaranteed Israel a place in the second round. Green's finest hour came in the sensational 91-75 upset of Slovenia. He scored 14 points and bagged 10 rebounds on the way to the quarterfinal clash with Spain. The game was held on September 10, 2003, and Green was the best Israeli on the court. He handled Pau Gasol very well and scored 10 points but Israel lost the match, 78-64. Yaniv was even better against Russia as he helped his national team clinch seventh place by scoring 21 points, taking 7 rebounds, and making 3 steals.

Yaniv returned to Hertzelyia as a hometown hero. His minute per game average jumped from 20.3 to 30.2, and he proved his worth with 10.7 points and 6.4 rebounds per game.

Green played for Hapoel Tel Aviv in 2002, but suffered from injury throughout the year. Yaniv was a leading player in Hapoel Tel Aviv in the 2003-04 season. While vastly improving his defensive capabilities and proving to be an impressive on-court leader, he led Hapoel to the playoff final where they lost to Maccabi Tel Aviv. He averaged 10.1 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. Green was signed by Maccabi Tel Aviv, and he helped them win the 2004-05 Euroleague, local league and State Cup "triple". Green was given a mostly defensive role in Maccabi Tel Aviv, as they won the 2005 Euroleague title in Moscow. He scored two points, and took down a rebound in the 91-82 semifinal victory over Panathinaikos. Green also played, but did not score, in the final as Maccabi beat Tau Victoria 90-78.

Origin:
Israel

Career Dates:
Player: 1999-present

Position:
Center

Physical description:
6"7

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