The regular season is coming to a close, which means conference play is right around the corner. It’s been a tough season for the Florida State Women’s Basketball. Despite their huge win on Sunday against their rival Miami, they currently sit with an 8-16 record, the program has had difficulty finding their footing after reshaping their roster from a year ago. However, let’s not allow Florida State’s losing season to overshadow the impact of transfer forward Tatum Greene. In her first season in Garnett and gold, she’s been a positive factor for the program and has shown up in big moments.
The old saying around Tallahassee is that transfers thrive at Florida State. No matter where the athlete played in the past, they always become better versions of themselves when they put on the Garnet and Gold uniform. Over the offseason, Florida State had to hit the portal hard and find new talent to recruit to the program. Luckily, they were able to strike gold with a few of them.
Greene came onto the scene during her freshman year at Boston College. Although adjusting to High School to the College level, she showed great versatility as a defender as well as her ability to stretch the floor. Greene averaged 4.4 points and 2.3 rebounds last season as an Eagle. While she had her golden moments as a freshman, unfortunately it didn’t result in a winning season.
During her season at Boston College, Florida State head coach Brooke Wyckoff made sure to keep an eye on the freshman. Of course, she had an advantage because they are in the same conference. However, Greene remained in Wyckoff’s radar throughout the offseason. She knew that Tatum’s size, athleticism, and versatility could be valuable to the program and their new beginning. With that being said, Greene became a Seminole and has not disappointed in her first season in Tallahassee.
What makes Greene a huge piece in the rotation is her ability to play her role. Don’t expect her to be the flashiest or the one who takes the most shots. Greene’s impact is based on her hustle plays. Her length can disrupt a team’s half-court set as she can defend multiple positions. Greene also shows active hands as she can strip
basketball as well as play the passing lanes. Those turnovers that she creates often leads to transition basketball for Florida State.
Offensively, Greene has been a jack of all trades. As I mentioned earlier, she has the range to be a spot-up shooter on the perimeter. Greene’s shooting numbers may have dropped this year compared to her freshman year. However, her impact has still shown as a valuable asset offensively. Playing next to talented players like Solé Williams, Jasmine Shavers, Sydney Bowles, and others makes the game easy for Tatum Greene on that side of the floor. As the defense is primarily focused on the guards, it allows her to create easy opportunities by moving off the ball and anticipating open passes.
Reliability is the best way to describe Tatum Greene at Florida State. It means that she can be trusted to do what she does best, which is provide energy on both ends. For most of the season, Florida State has been on the losing end of games. Some matchups were lost down the stretch while others were lost dominantly. No matter the outcome of the game, Greene remained consistent in making an impact for her team.
Greene is averaging six points along with 5.6 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 24 games played. So far, she’s scored in double-digits three times as well as recorded five or more rebounds in 16 games. The notable performance from Greene took place on Sunday against the Miami Hurricanes. A rivalry game is always important for players to look forward to. As they stamp their names into history, they have the responsibility to compete at the highest level and lead their team to a win. Tatum understood the magnitude of this matchup, considering Florida State lost to Miami in their first matchup on January 11. As the Seminoles returned home after a tough loss against NC State, they were desperate to get back on the win board.
This was the matchup where Tatum Greene led the way. Things started on the defensive end as she continued to create turnovers. As expected, those turnovers led to easy opportunities on the other end. From the beginning, Florida State took control of the contest and never looked back. They led by as many as 22 points and ran away with their win in the second half.
Offensively, Greene was incredible. Yes, she shot the ball efficiently (9/12 FG). However, what also stood out was how Greene was creating open opportunities for her teammates as well. Both her passing and ball screens created open looks for Florida State to both score from the perimeter as well as attack driving lanes. Overall, the team shot 52 percent from the floor as it became one of their most efficient nights of the season. Greene finished the contest with a career-high 22 points along with 7 rebounds, leading Florida State to an 87-70 victory on their home floor.
As a sophomore, Tatum Greene continues to show maturity and leadership as an all-around talent. She’s a player who has the potential to one day become the captain of the Florida State Women’s Basketball Team. While Greene has a bright future in garnet and gold, her current mindset is to finish this season strong. As of today, the Seminoles rank 14th in the ACC standings and need to remain in the top 15 to remain eligible for the Conference Tournament. The remaining schedule for Florida State is tough as they face four teams with winning records. As Greene is coming off an exceptional performance against Miami, she will be expected to carry the momentum over to finish the season.