If you come to Lady Tigers basketball game this season, you will see assiatnt women’s basketball coach Tony Greene passion and intenseity for the game of basketball on display. That passion and fire has translated over to the team and that is one of the reasons why the Tigers have one eight games this season.For Greene ,coaching is not only a job but is a career that he gives put alot of hard work and determnination into.
As a kid growing up in Dallas ,sports instilled alot of things into Coach Greene. According to Greene, athletics built self esteem in him. The coaches that had influnce on him was the late Euegene Jefferson, his pop Warner coach who insiltied confidence into him and served as a father figure to him, another was Former Coach Wayne the former basketball coach at East Central University, Wayne taught Greene to had to work hard for something and develop a great work ethic.
Greene got his start in coaching when he was a student assitant at Lansgton. Accordingto Greene, the President and the Athletic director recomoended him be student assitant, seeing the poetnial and the ability he had in him, they decided to hire Greene full time.
Afte he was hired by Langston, his career took of. In the 13 years that he was there, he helped Grambling Coach Donnita Drain calcute 244 victroies ,including a 31-2 record last year.
It is evident that Greene enjoys his job. Accroding to Greene, he enjoys seeing the young women come in as freshmen and watching them growing into seniors and get their degree.
To this day, he still receives letters from from former players he has coached through the years. ?One letter came from a young lady name Natasha Riles, who said that Greene was like a father figure to her because she grew up with no father.
Another player he received a letter from is Letika Anderson – Willis, who became the first black female highway patrol officer .in the state of Oklahoma.
Greene is tough but he is fair. The most important thing to Greene in a player is displine. According to Greene, displine is the key foundation you wanna a player to have. Displine to execute your sheme.
Green has common saying, ” Thinking gets you beat.”
Greene said that thinking gets you beat beause if you have think about what you are going to do, it’s going to slow your thinking on the basketball floor.
Coach had to adjust coming to Grambling after being in Langston for 13 years, he said that is important that he learans hid surroundings.
Greene expressed no idea of being a head coach, he said that in the present time, he enjoys working with coach Driain He has been offered jobs by Cedar Valley College and Texas College; however, he wansts to take his carrer day by day and if it comes up he will enteratin it.
Outside of coaching, he is a member of Alpha Phi Alhpha Inc, Black Coaches Assication and Women’s Basetball Assicoation.
Greene is partipcates in the Dallas Mavericks camp for the past five seasons.where he coahes. Greene is also the father of three children: Toni Jr, Toni (who is an oustsanding basketball player in Norman, Okla.) and Charm.