In a man’s world, a woman works

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO — Like the billowy, white, oversized uniform she kept tugging up and tucking in, Kristen Green was somewhat less than comfortable in her men’s professional basketball debut Sunday at JSerra High.

And while the eight members of the host Orange County Gladiators’ Goddesses’ dance team spent more time on the floor than the former UC Irvine women’s standout in an American Basketball Assn. game against the San Diego Wildcats, the 5-foot-9 guard managed to leave an impression on more than the score sheet.

Green, at least the third woman to play in an ABA game, made her first shot, a 10-foot baseline jumper in transition, to account for two points in two different stints that amounted to eight minutes, 22 seconds of the 48-minute contest won by San Diego, 122-100.

Green produced nothing but one foul in her second-quarter appearance that began with 8:48 left in the period and ended with 4:06 left in the first half. She touched the ball a couple of times on offense, but got nowhere near attempting a shot.

She came in with the Gladiators leading, 39-33, and left with the Wildcats up, 47-41.

Green, who later said it was as nervous as she has ever been on a basketball court, appeared tentative on offense, mostly shuffling at the right wing position while the action played out elsewhere.

But, her second time off the bench, with the visitors holding a 13-point lead with 3:40 remaining in the game, Green appeared much more in the flow of things.

She collected an offensive rebound at the foul line with 2:38 left and passed to a teammate underneath, who was then fouled while shooting.

She sank her bucket with 1:51 left, after running down the right sideline in transition. She fielded the pass from a teammate on the run, took one dribble and pulled up for a wide-open jumper that curled around the back of the rim and in, to the delight of most of the estimated 130 spectators.

She had two additional field-goal attempts in the waning moments. She wedged a 12-foot shot from the left elbow in between the backboard and the rim. Then, with time expiring, she drove around a defender to set up a layup attempt from the left side. But, shooting with the right hand, she missed the wide-open look as time expired and the crowd shared a collective groan.

“I was glad to get that basket, but I wish I would have made my layup,” Green said after the game, after she signed about a dozen autographs, mostly for young girls.

Though Gladiators owner David R. Clarke said the crowd was only slightly above average, a handful of young female fans had home-made signs stating: “Go Kristen!” and “Girls rule!”

“[The signs and cheers] made me feel really good,” said Green, a second-team All-Big West Conference performer as a senior at UCI in 2003-04, who played professionally with women overseas the last three seasons. Green was signed by the Gladiators after her agent, Tony Farmer, a player-coach for the team, advised Clarke she could help the team.

After Clarke watched her perform well in an intrasquad scrimmage, she was given a uniform.

“She obviously showed she could play,” said Clarke, who noted the crowd was a little more energetic for Green’s debut.

Farmer was also encouraged by Green’s performance.

“It was a tough situation, because [San Diego] is the best team in the league,” said Farmer, a 6-foot-10 former Nebraska standout who led the Gladiators with 20 points Sunday.

Green said she was a little jittery and she winced in pain briefly and flexed her hand repeatedly after having the ball swatted from her hands and out of bounds by a defender on the wing.

“I’ve played with guys many times,” she said. “Of course, it’s different being in a game. But you’ve got to get out there and give it your all.”

She said she would not have been disappointed had she not scored, but she is glad to have that first game behind her.

“I’m not out for my points,” she said. “I’m just out to help the team. Any way I can help, that’s what I have to do.

“It was an OK game for my first one, but I’m glad to be moving on.”

The plan is for Green to remain playing with the Gladiators, though her ultimate goal is to draw interest from a WNBA team, or get another opportunity to play overseas.

BARRY FAULKNER may be reached at (714) 966-4615 or at [email protected].