Tony Greene is in his third season as an assistant coach at the University of Toledo. Greene works with all aspects of the program, including perimeter-player development, recruiting, academic support and opponent scouting.
In 20-plus years as a collegiate coach, Greene has been a part of six trips to the NAIA Tournament, three appearances in the Postseason WNIT and one trip to the NCAA Championships. He has also mentored over 30 all-conference players, including five league Player of the Year recipients, six All-Americans and three Academic All-Americans.
In addition to his work on the court, Greene has made his presence known in recruiting, playing a key role in UT securing Zaria Wright (Concord, NC) and junior college transfer Merveilles “Mae” Tshitenge (Redlands Community College).
“Tony is an outstanding teacher, and I love the energy and passion he brings to the program,” three-time Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year Tricia Cullop said. “He’s been very instrumental in helping us become one of the top defensive teams in the league. He assists in recruiting, scouting and developing our players. I appreciate the ideas Tony brings to the table and his ability to relate to our players and recruits. He possesses a great positive outlook and infectious personality. He has an eye for talent and is willing to put in the time to get the job done.”
2016-17
Toledo finished with a 25-9 overall record and a 12-6 ledger in the conference.
UT, which tied for third in the MAC West Division standings, earned the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Championships after winning the MAC Tournament for the first time since 2001 and eighth time in school history.
The Rockets tallied at least 20 wins for the first time in four years and their 25 victories tied for fifth most in school history. The Midnight Blue & Gold wrapped up the year ranked unofficially No. 26 in the country among mid-major programs, according to the collegeinsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll.
Sophomore Mikaela Boyd was named the MAC Tournament MVP and joined on the all-tourney team by freshman Mariella Santucci.
Individually, senior Janice Monakana secured second-team All-MAC honors, while junior Jay-Ann Bravo-Harriott and Boyd garnered third-team accolades and Santucci was selected on the All-Freshman Team.
Monakana and Bravo-Harriott collected all-conference recognition for the second-straight season.
Boyd did an impressive job in her expanded role in 2016-17, averaging a team-high 12.2 points, a squad-best 7.9 rebounds, 4.0 assists and a team-high 2.1 steals in a squad-best 30.8 minutes.
The only Rocket to start all 34 contests, Boyd ranked fourth in the MAC in defensive caroms (5.8 rpg), sixth in thefts, overall rebounding and assist/turnover ratio (1.6, 137-85), seventh in helpers and 20th in scoring.
In 2015-16, Boyd averaged 2.8 points, 1.7 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 0.5 steals in 9.4 minutes per contest.
In addition, Bravo-Harriott ranked 11th in the MAC in three-point field-goal percentage (.352, 56-of-159) and free throw percentage (.774, 82-of-106), 13th in three-point field-goals made (1.7, 56) and tied for 24th in scoring.
Defensively, Toledo paced the MAC in overall field-goal percentage defense (.368, 738-of-2,003) and three-point field-goal percentage defense (.264, 171-of-647) in 2016-17, as well as ranking tied for second in scoring defense (62.0 ppg). Toledo also restricted 16 opponents to 10 points or less in a quarter on 22 occasions this year.
2015-16
Toledo finished with a 17-13 overall mark and a 12-6 record in MAC play. UT placed third in the MAC West Division standings and earned a first-round bye in the conference tournament.
Individually, junior Janice Monakana and sophomore Jay-Ann Bravo-Harriott garnered honorable mention all-league accolades, while newcomer Kaayla McIntyre was selected on the All-Freshman Team.
One of two Rockets to start all 30 games, Bravo-Harriott averaged 11.0 points, 3.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists and a team-high 1.3 steals in 30.9 minutes. She ranked 14th in the MAC in helpers and three-point field-goal percentage (.341, 46-of-135), 15th in assist/turnover ratio (1.0, 92-93) and 23rd in scoring.
Greene’s Coaching Origin
Greene came to Toledo following three successful seasons at Texas Southern, where his primary focus was defense, point-guard development and recruiting. The Lady Tigers compiled a 59-36 overall ledger (.621) during this time, including 47-6 (.887) in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), advancing to the Postseason WNIT all three years.
In 2014-15, TSU captured a share of the SWAC regular-season championship, advanced to the Postseason WNIT and had three players earn all-conference accolades. Alexus Johnson and Jasmine Peeples garnered first-team all-league recognition, while Brianna Sidney collected second-team honors.
In 2013-14, the Lady Tigers accepted a bid to the Postseason WNIT after advancing to the SWAC Tournament Championship Game. Jazzmin Parker was tabbed SWAC Player of the Year, Sarah Williams collected Newcomer of the Year laurels and Morgan Simmons earned a spot on the all-league second-team.
In 2012-13, Texas Southern participated in the Postseason WNIT for the first time in school history. TSU received the Postseason WNIT’s automatic berth after capturing the SWAC regular-season crown. Te’era Williams was named SWAC Freshman of the Year while Brianna Sidney was named to the All-SWAC second team.
Prior to his time at Texas Southern, Greene had coaching stints at Grambling St. (2008-12) and Langston (1994-2008).
While an assistant at GSU, he helped guide the Tigers from last place to a fourth-place finish in the SWAC in four years with post-season berths in the last two seasons. In 2012, his recruiting class ranked No. 6 nationally among Mid-Majors by ESPN HoopGurlz and No. 42 overall in the nation.
Prior to Grambling St., he spent 13 years at Langston as an assistant coach and one year as head coach. During that period, he helped the Lions compile 244 victories and a 31-2 record in his last season.
Greene was named the 2001-02 AFLAC National Assistant Coach of the Year. He also developed several fundraisers and scholarship campaigns while at Langston, including the Matthew Hatchett Scholarship Celebrity Weekend and the WNBA Celebrity Fundraiser Game.
Greene’s teams compiled a 54-1 conference record the last three seasons at Langston. As recuiting coordinator, he groomed seven players to play professionally, six going overseas and one to the WNBA, Kara Braxton. Braxton was selected with the seventh overall pick in the first round of the 2005 WNBA Draft.
Life as Student-Athlete
As a student-athlete, Greene played at the junior college level for Langston’s men’s team. As a player, he was selected the DCCCD Conference Player of the Year and a JUCO All-American.
A native of Dallas, TX, Greene earned his bachelor’s degree in health and physical education from Langston in 1994.
Greene is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated, the Black Coaches Association and the Women’s Basketball Association. Greene and his wife Aniece have four daughters, Toni (23), Nadia (17), De Naijia (15) and Anieya (12) and one son, Charm (26).
