Mariano Rivera. Tom Brady. Adam Viniateri. Shaquille O’Neal. Jeff Green?

It may be unfair to say that Green is as clutch as Brady or Viniateri, as unsolvable as Rivera or as physically imposing as O’Neal, but like those four future Hall of Famers, Green gives his team a unique advantage that few other squads enjoy.

With his ability to play both inside and outside, score and pass effectively, and act as a rebounder and shotblocker, Green is a jack of all trades who can bring a new and different dynamic to the floor on any given night. His very presence in the starting lineup gives the Hoyas a leg up on opponents as they look to make a run to the Final Four.

“There’s no doubt that Jeff Green is special with what he can do on the basketball court. He can do so many things at such a high level,” Georgetown Head Coach John Thompson III said.

“There isn’t a better player in the league than Jeff Green,” veteran Connecticut Head Coach Jim Calhoun told reporters after his Huskies’ loss to Georgetown. “I’m going to sit down and look at it and fill my ballot out [today], but there isn’t a better overall player than Green. He’s so multidimensional. He’s so unselfish.”

Offensively, Green’s ability both to play within the Georgetown system and break out of it is what distinguishes him. Few are better at throwing the backdoor pass or making the backdoor cuts, the trademarks of the Princeton offense.

Green led the team in assists for much of the season, but was passed by sophomore guard Jessie Sapp during the Big East tournament. Green nevertheless recently joined Reggie Williams as one of just two all-time Hoyas to amass 1,000 points, 600 rebounds and 300 assists.

Given an open three, the 6-foot-9 forward is hardly afraid to take the shot. His 38.9 three-point shooting percentage proves that, especially for his size, he is an above-average long-distance gunner. Had he made enough to qualify, Green would rank fifth in the Big East in three-point field goal percentage. Green’s 38.9 percent clip ranks second on the team to Wallace among starters and his 35 three-pointers trails Wallace and freshman forward DaJuan Summers.

Combine his passing acumen with his ability to move without the ball and knock down a three, and Green fits snuggly into Thompson’s Princeton offense.

But as anyone who watched the Hoyas in the Big East tournament against Notre Dame knows, Georgetown does not always run the Princeton offense. Backdoor cuts don’t always work; sometimes there is not an over-aggressive man-to-man defense to take advantage of.

Last Friday, the Irish employed a run-and-gun offense and a zone defense. As a result of both, junior center Roy Hibbert was rendered ineffective and the Princeton offense was effectively neutralized. To dig the Hoyas out of this hole early on, Thompson put Green either at the foul line or on the low block and let the Big East player of the year go to work. Around the foul line, Green used his mid-range jumper and ability to weave between the Irish defense to break down the zone.

In the post, Green demonstrated that he is still capable of playing center like he did his freshman year, utilizing his post-up skills and soft baby hook to frustrate the Notre Dame D.

In transition, Green made layups that would impress an audience of Kobe Bryant and Circ de Sole.

“He was just unbelievable,” Hibbert said. “Those layups, those crazy layups he hits, he does that in practice all the time. It’s phenomenal. He works on those before and after practice. I don’t know what he does. He’s like an acrobat out there.”

When all was said and done, Green scored 30 points, made the game-winning basket and provided a national audience with a textbook definition of versatility.

Because of the slow-paced, low-scoring nature of Georgetown’s offense and Green’s pass-first mindset, his statistics are deflated. In a different system, Green’s points-per-game average would likely be closer to the 21 he posted in the conference tournament than the 14.3 he has recorded over the 32-game season.

Similarly, Green’s rebounding numbers take a hit because the Hoyas slow the game down enough that neither they nor their opponents take very many shots. Georgetown doesn’t miss as often as most teams, and even once its opponents’ rebounds are factored in, there simply are not as many missed field goals in a Hoyas’ game as your average college basketball contest. Georgetown games averaged 53.5 missed shots; UNC games, for a frame of reference, 66.7.

Moreover, as someone who plays at least as much if not more on the perimeter than down low, Green is not always in great position to rebound. He is a better rebounder than his numbers suggest, and statistics aside, you never know when Green will leap 11 feet in the air and grab a rebound that his teammates had long-ago conceded.

On the other end of the floor, Green is just as versatile. Last season, he checked Duke all-American forward Shelden Williams to the tune of four points. This season, he’s defended everyone from Pitt 7-foot center Aaron Gray to Ronald Ramon, the Panthers’ 6-foot-1 sharp shooter. With Green shadowing Ramon for parts of their Feb. 24 regular season win and last Saturday’s Big East title bout, the Hoyas took away one of Pittsburgh’s most dangerous offensive weapons.

Then there are the intangibles. Green is a no-nonsense, no-tattoos, no-jewelry throwback who does not run his mouth, does not seek the spotlight and does not care about accolades or awards, even though he is starting to rack them up. Even with just about everyone and their mother talking up Green’s NBA potential – which is skyrocketing faster than his scoring average – the 20-year old future pro has stayed surprisingly even-keeled.

As the tournament is set to begin and the month where anything can happen kicks off, there are few players in the country that are as much of a sure thing as Green.

“Jeff is one of the best players I’ve ever played with. Actually, he is the best player I’ve ever played with,” Sapp said. “I respect him a lot as a basketball player, as a person and as our leader on this team. Wherever he takes us, that’s where we’re going to go. He needs us and we need him, but he’s ahead of us.”

To win the NCAA tournament, a team needs to string together six straight wins. There is no time for an off night. If Wallace isn’t hitting his shots, Green can pick up the slack. If Hibbert isn’t cutting it down low, Green can slide down to the post. If there’s a big shot to be made, Green will demand the ball, make the shot and immediately move on to the next play.

Few teams possess a weapon so potent.

– Staff Writer Brenna McGee contributed to this report.