Most teenagers like to spend their summers hanging out with their friends and doing typical kid stuff.
If everything goes well, Argo basketball player Darron Greer Jr. will be spending this summer doing something completely different.
The 6-foot-4 junior forward has been invited to attend the Euro Youth Basketball Cup that will take place in Spain from June 8-16 as part of the Pro Hoops USA team. Over 60 teams and 20 countries are expected to be in attendance.
Greer seems more than worthy to participate. This season, he is averaging 14 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals per game for the Argonauts while shooting over 70% from the free-throw line.
“This would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Greer Jr. said. “There aren’t a lot of people who get the chance to play overseas. Spending (nine) days in Spain would let me see different scenery and play with international rules.
“I could learn how other people play basketball around the world, see different cultures and see how people play basketball overseas. This would be a great experience, I think. I could learn a lot more about world situations and maybe pick up a new language or something.”
Argo coach Pat Maietta believes that Greer, who excels in the classroom by maintaining a 3.8 overall grade-point average, is more than deserving of this unique opportunity.
“Not many kids from Summit have the chance to play basketball in Europe,” Maietta said. “I hope this works out for him. This could be a life-changing experience for him to meet and play basketball with students from around the world.
“Darron is a high-character kid who gives us much-needed athleticism that we don’t usually have. He’s unselfish, he rebounds and his teammates follow him. Our teachers marvel at what a respectful, high-quality young man he is. Darron had instant credibility with his teammates and one of his best attributes is he’s able to get along with others.”
For more information, visit Greer’s page on X (@Darrongreer12).
Greer didn’t play in the Argonauts’ 64-28 nonconference victory over visiting Lisle on Jan. 25. The night before in a 51-49 loss to South Suburban Red rival Shepard, Greer tweaked his ankle and was held out against the Lions for precautionary measures. Greer finished with 20 points, nine rebounds and three steals against the Astros.
Greer’s teammates more than made up for his absence though. Kentrell Lee led all scorers with 16 points, including four 3-pointers in the first half. Kassam Saleh chipped in 11 points, while Kenneth Martins and Yusuf Saleh added nine points apiece and Deuce Rayner finished with seven.
Argo (10-11) connected on 10 3-pointers. Leading 17-8 after the first quarter, the Argonauts outscored Lisle 19-6 in the second quarter to take a 36-14 lead at the half.
“We had a heartbreaking loss to Shepard (Friday) night,” Maietta said. “Some days you have to go out there and just prove you’re the better team.
“That’s what we did. We played like we can play and that started on the defensive end.”