There he sat, in the LHS library, for his final official act as a Lawrence High basketball player. Looking as cool, calm and collected as he always did on the court, LHS senior Dorian Green flashed his friendly smile throughout the moments that led up to him putting pen to paper.

First, Lions coach Chris Davis talked about what the 6-foot-1 guard meant to the LHS program throughout the past three seasons. Davis also shared stories of the recruiting process in which he advised Green as much as asked and got to know CSU coach Tim Miles as well.

Then, LHS principal Steve Nilhas talked about how Green represented the ideal LHS student-athlete and how fortunate he felt to have watched Green’s career.

At 2:51 p.m. Green signed his letter and officially became a member of the Colorado State University men's basketball program.

For Green, the actual signing simply made his commitment official.

“The biggest step was when I committed (March 16),” Green said. “But there is a little sense of relief that it’s all over now and that I can focus on moving on to Colorado State.”

For the first time in the entire process, the CSU head coach was allowed to comment on his latest recruit.

Miles said he was thrilled to add a person the caliber of Green to his program and was looking forward to watching the LHS guard mature into a special player for the Rams.

Although things came easy for Green at LHS, that likely won’t be the case at Colorado State — at least not right away.

“He’s gotta get stronger, he’s gotta add some things to his game if he wants to be a truly special player,” Miles said. “But we can fix the skinny part, we can’t fix the player part.”

After watching film on Green prior to meeting him in person, Miles attended the Lions’ home game against Shawnee Mission South on Feb. 10. In that one, Green exploded for 29 points and 7 assists in a 67-43 victory against the Raiders. But more than any of his drives to the rim or dishes to teammates, Miles remembered the scene after the game.

“It was not the fact he scored 29 points but the fact that when I got done talking to Chris Davis after the game there were eight people in line waiting to talk to me to give a thumbs up for Dorian. Those intangibles, to me, are what truly make the man. I told him afterwards, ‘That’s either good or bad. They either love you, Dorian, or they want to get rid of you.’”

Miles said the key to Colorado State landing Green was the fact that he and his staff got out in front early and were able maintain a solid relationship throughout the process.

Green chose Colorado State over Creighton, Western Kentucky, UMKC and Wagner College, but later admitted that it was CSU that had him the most excited the entire time. Miles was not surprised.

“The way I looked at it was, I thought we were going to be tough to beat for anybody else,” Miles said. “I knew he felt good about what was going on with our program and I knew he loved the situation. He just needed to be nudged over the top.”

Ultimately, that nudge came because of Miles, his passion and dedication to rebuilding CSU and the fact that Fort Collins, Colo., reminded Green so much of Lawrence.

After graduating from LHS in May, Green will head for the mountains in June, when he will enroll in summer classes and begin working out with the team.

“I’m ready to get out there,” Green said. “I’m excited to get going and excited to develop a little chemistry with my new teammates.”

Miles said he anticipates Green playing both guard positions for the Rams and that he will have to play himself out of minutes rather than the other way around.

“We’re going to approach it like Dorian’s coming in to play,” said Miles, alluding to the fact that Green red-shirting next season remained possible but unlikely. “He will play both guard spots for sure. Whether he settles into one spot or the other, I won’t know that until see him play. I don’t know much, but I know a player when I see one and I’m excited to have Dorian as a part of our program.”

Previous version, posted 6 a.m., Wednesday, April 15

April 15 is the day Dorian Green officially becomes a college basketball player.

At 2:45 p.m., in front of friends, family, teammates and Lawrence High faculty members, Green will make his commitment to Colorado State University official when he signs a national letter of intent to play basketball at CSU in the LHS library.

After riding the wave of recruiting throughout his senior season, the LHS guard orally committed to Colorado State on Monday, March 16 after an in-home visit with CSU coach Tim Miles.

Green, who averaged 22.6 points per game in leading the Lions to a 13-9 record this season, said he chose Colorado State because Fort Collins, Colo., reminded him a lot of Lawrence and because he wanted to take on the challenge of helping Miles rebuild the school’s men’s basketball program.

Green made an official visit to Fort Collins on Feb. 28, where he met the team, toured the facilities and attended the Rams’ double-overtime game against New Mexico. It was in the bleachers during that game where Green first envisioned himself becoming a Ram.

Because of his desire to make the right decision, Green let the recruiting process drag on for two weeks following his visit to CSU. But each day, as schools such as Creighton, Western Kentucky, UMKC and Wagner College continued to go after him, Colorado State remained in the back of his mind.

“It was pretty much a no-brainer,” Green told the Journal-World on March 16. “(Choosing CSU) shouldn’t have taken this long, actually.”

For more on Green’s signing, stay logged on to LJWorld.com.

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