18 March 2023
GREENSBORO, NC (KSNT) – It’s hard for K-State guard Tykei Greene to find new experiences in college basketball.
A fifth-year senior on his third team, Greene has played in 143 games with over 3,000 total minutes of playing time. However, until K-State’s Friday night matchup with Montana State, he had yet to appear in the NCAA tournament.
Greene grew up like most kids who became basketball players, dreaming to play in March Madness. After two years at Manhattan College in New York and two years at Stony Brook, it looked like playing in the Big Dance was exactly that – a dream.
Then came along Coach Tang and the Wildcats.
“Means a lot to me,” Greene said. “I always grew up watching March Madness tournaments, but I was in the bed sadly. Now that I can be a part of it, I’m making my family proud. Making my mom proud, my sisters, my brothers. Anybody that supports me is going to be really proud. And making it here with these guys, they from New York too, they’re like my brothers. We’re making each other proud. We’re just going to keep pushing.”
It took a lot of selflessness for Greene to get here, because he wasn’t sure of his rile on the team. He still only registers 11 minutes a game, but he says he doesn’t care – he knew this team could be special.
Now, Greene is part of a short list of players that get to play in highest honor of college basketball.