Kansas freshman Brannen Greene cited for leaving scene of late-night accident
It will be hard for any of the other incoming freshmen at Kansas to garner much attention this summer because of the presence of Andrew Wiggins, but Brannen Greene has found a way to loosen his teammate's stranglehold on the news cycle.
Unfortunately for Greene, however, he didn't make headlines for a good reason.
The 6-foot-7 forward is scheduled to appear in court next month after Lawrence police cited him for leaving the scene of an accident at 3:20 a.m. on July 13, the Lawrence Journal-World reported Tuesday night.
An unoccupied 1997 Mercury Grand Marquis that was parked in a driveway was struck hard enough that night to significantly damage that vehicle's trunk. Witnesses initially couldn't identify the vehicle that hit the Mercury, but a police investigation determined it was a 2002 Chevy Trailblazer owned by a 25-year-old Lawrence man and allegedly driven by Greene.
The obvious question that comes to mind when any driver hits a stationary vehicle at 3:20 a.m. and leaves the scene before police arrive is whether alcohol may have been the cause of the accident. That's a question likely to go unanswered unless Greene addresses it at a later date.
If there's any good news to come from this story for Kansas, it's that the Jayhawks are unlikely to have a P.J. Hairston-like saga on their hands. Even though the car Greene was driving didn't belong to him, it's probably a safe bet an 11-year-old SUV won't spark any extra benefits investigations.
Regardless, Greene would be wise to use this incident as a learning experience.
Kansas will need Greene to contribute off the bench at small forward as a freshman and to prepare for a much bigger role by his sophomore season. The consensus top 50 recruit is certainly capable of that, but he can't let immature off-the-court mistakes jeopardize his standing with the program.
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