Xavier guard Trey Green did his best Santa Claus impression when he was home for the holidays. The freshman and Charlotte, North Carolina native gifted a purse to his mom, luggage to his father and clothing to his nieces and nephews.

It was a week of giving for Green, who, two days before Christmas, gave Xavier fans at Cintas Center a glimpse of his shot-making ability with a pair of 3-pointers in a 17-2 run to help the Musketeers pull away from Seton Hall.

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Green was named one of the top 25 impact freshmen in the nation by CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein prior to the 2023-24 season. That preseason accolade was largely due to his shooting ability. In the last two games, Green has finally found his stroke from beyond the arc with four made 3-pointers.

"I know what I'm capable of doing and what coach (Sean) Miller wants me to do for the team," Green said. "To see those (shots) fall at the right time really boosted my confidence."

'Welcome to college.'

In Green's collegiate debut, the 6-foot guard drove to the lane, created contact with a Robert Morris defender hoping to draw a foul and potentially go to the line for a three-point play opportunity. Instead, his shot was off the mark with no whistle. Green went scoreless over 15 minutes in a 77-63 Xavier win.

"That was like, 'welcome to college,' " Green said. "You gotta earn it here. That's how it is in the Big East, too."

Green has had a season's worth of learning experiences in the first two months of his college basketball career.

"Up and down. A journey," Green said describing his first 13 games. "Everything's just different. I'm learning how to balance that out."

The freshman curve

Green had back-to-back 10-point nights early in the season (vs. Jacksonville, at Purdue), then had a season-high 4 turnovers in a loss to Washington in Las Vegas. Green made three 3-pointers against Oakland, then got sick and missed the loss to Houston.

In the next three games, he played just 13 minutes total, scoring 3 points. After Xavier's win over Winthrop Dec. 16, Green was shooting just 26.3% from beyond the arc (10-of-38).

"It was kind of that moment where I'm hearing a lot about how freshmen go through the curve and you just have to push through it," Green said.

Going into the Crosstown Shootout on a three-game home losing streak, Sean Miller said he'd lean on his starters more while he looked for answers on the bench. Green played just four minutes in the win over UC, needing to fix an array of things from turnovers, defensive intensity and shot making.

Some freshmen can naturally get out of their game in the high-pressure stakes of college hoops. When you're playing scared of making a mistake, you're not yourself.

"You're not really overthinking it, but you just put it in the front of your mind to lock in with no negative plays and that's when you kind of see the negative plays start to reoccur a little bit," Green explained. "As I caught on and started getting comfortable with the pace and the flow of the college game, coach Miller sees it and tries to tell me to reduce the negative plays and play my game with confidence."

'He could feel the love.'

No one was happier than fellow Xavier guard Quincy Olivari when Green knocked down two key second-half triples to help Xavier beat Seton Hall.

"I was smiling ear-to-ear . . . You could tell he was getting into the crowd a little bit and he could feel the love," Olivari said postgame. "It's an amazing feeling because I know how frustrated he gets when he's either not playing a lot or he makes mistakes . . . To see him finally get out there and look like he's having fun is a great feeling."

Olivari and others within the Xavier locker room were the encouragement behind Green riding the wave of a shooting slump.

"Coach Miller, my teammates, saying 'stay with it. We believe in you, and we trust you,' " Green said. "Those were the confidence boosters to help me get through it, stay in the gym and work on my craft not really get down on myself."

Green's role moving forward

Xavier will need contributions from its freshmen class if it wants to become a team playing its best basketball at the right time.

Miller, speaking after the Seton Hall win, lumped Green with freshman Dailyn Swain as two young guys whose "role and opportunity grows with less negative plays."

It will take an all-around effort, not just putting the ball in the hoop.

"To be able to play good offense, make decisions and not turn it over, block out various guys that are going to crash the offensive glass, not miss that block out or defensive assignment − that's way more important than making a shot," Miller said.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Xavier basketball: Will Trey Green be a difference maker in Big East?