HEAVY HEART: St. John’s guard Phil Greene IV is driven by the memory of his best friend, Michael Haynes (inset), who was killed over the summer. Of his dream of excelling on the basketball court, Greene says, “I’m doing this for both of us.” (Paul J. Bereswill)
This is a story of young man who went from being shattered in his personal life to turning it into swagger on the basketball court.
It is story of a life lost and a life blossoming.
It is a story that will make you mourn for the death of Iona recruit Michael Haynes, senselessly gunned down on Chicago’s Southside this summer, and will make you hope his best friend, St. John’s guard Phil Greene IV, takes his game to another level.
“He was my best friend,’’ Greene told The Post. “We both had the same dreams.’’
The dream was to get out of the South Side, get a college education, maybe get a shot at the NBA.
Greene, 20, and Haynes, 22, had been friends since Greene was six.
“He was my big brother,’’ said Greene. “He was my protector.’’
Haynes died trying to protect his cousin, who was involved in an altercation with several men over a stolen necklace. Haynes pushed the shooter, who pulled a gun, and shots cracked the relative quiet of a hot, humid July 26 night.
“I didn’t talk about it with anyone,’’ said Greene. “My head was messed up.’’
Greene shared some of his pain with head coach Steve Lavin, who accompanied his player to Chicago for the funeral. But the real hurt stayed buried like a shell in the sand.
“It took days before he could open and even say a thing,’’ said LaToyria Robinson. Greene IV’s mother. “You could see the hurt on his face. It was like a little kid that had lost his puppy.’’
Yes, there are some losses that are almost unbearable, losses that make you lose your way.
The road to St. John’s had never been easy for Greene. He chose to spend his senior year of high school at IMG Academy in Florida because he wasn’t getting the college offers he thought he deserved. He was the lowest ranked recruit in Lavin’s first full recruiting class.
Greene said that lit a fire. He had a solid freshman season, starting 27 games and averaging 7.8 points. But a wrist injury badly impacted his shooting (36 percent) and he never felt right.
He healed over the summer, spending a lot of time with his father, Phil Greene III, in Chicago, lifting weights and working out at the Salvation Army Kroc Center.
“Phil is probably one of the hardest working guys on the team,’’ said star freshman JaKarr Sampson. “He takes pride in his game. You could tell over the summertime he was in the gym. He wasn’t laying back.
“He came back with some new stuff, some new skills. He improved his jump shot a lot. And he got some new swagger.’’
He also has a heavy heart.
“There are times when I don’t feel like going to the gym or going hard,’’ said Greene. “I think of Michael. I’m doing this for both of us.’’
Greene has played like a man possessed. After scoring a career-high 20 points in the Johnnies’ opening night victory over Detroit, Greene topped himself with a 24-point, seven-assist, five-rebound, one-turnover performance in Sunday’s loss to Baylor.
Going into tonight’s home game against Holy Cross, Green is shooting just under 50 percent (24-of-53) and almost 33 percent on 3’s (4-of-15), and leads the team with 20 assists.
“I’m not surprised because I know how hard he worked this summer and I know who he’s playing for,’’ said Greene III. “I told him, ‘The streets claimed your friend but you cannot let it claim you, too.’’
That would make this story a total tragedy. At least now, a dream blossoms in Phil Greene IV.