Kern: Lynn Greer set to enter Temple Hall of Fame

IF YOU were putting together a Mount Rushmore of Temple basketball players, there likely would be three givens: Guy Rodgers, who many consider to be the best point guard in Big 5 history; Mark Macon; and Hal Lear, who played in the same backcourt as Rodgers as a senior in 1956 when he was MVP of the Final Four after scoring a then-record 48 points (only Bill Bradley ever got more) in the consolation-game win. Which is saying something, since some fellow named Bill Russell had 27 points and 26 rebounds in the final as San Francisco was getting a second straight title.

Anyway, after that is where there's always room for debate. How about Bill Mlkvy, the Owl Without a Vowel, and the only other Temple great besides those three to have his number retired? Or John Baum, who should have been the MVP of the 1969 NIT? Nate Blackwell, John Chaney's first star? Eddie and/or Aaron, no last names necessary? Maybe even Pepe Sanchez, an All-America and conference player of the year? You can make a case for all of them. And no doubt a few more.

Lynn Greer, who is one of six getting inducted into the university's Athletic Hall of Fame Friday night, at least should be included in such a conversation. Even if this honor has him shaking his head a little.

"When I was growing up and playing in McGonigle Hall, you could see all those pictures (of the school's Hall of Famers) hanging up on the walls," said Greer, who turns 37 next month. "I would go, 'Man, those dudes are old.' It was mostly cats I'd never seen before. And I'd been watching Temple for a while. Then I saw Nate and Howie (Evans) there and I was like, 'OK, there's a couple I remember.' So when (coach) Fran (Dunphy) called to congratulate me, I was surprised. I didn't think they recognized guys that soon. I knew I had a good career, but I never considered myself to be like the guys I looked up to . . .

"I try to tell my son (Lynn III, a promising freshman at Roman Catholic) what I used to do. He was able to see me play overseas (as a professional). But my last few years I wasn't the Lynn Greer who could go off for 40 or 50 anymore. So when this happened it was like, 'Wow, I did used to put on shows and things like that.' It brought back so many memories."

He was a 6-1, baby-faced assassin who finished his career (1997-2002, redshirted his second season after suffering an eye injury) with 2,099 points, second in program history. The Engineering and Science product averaged 23.2 as a senior and holds the North Broad records for games played (137), single-season three-point percentage (.472, as a freshman) and career free-throw accuracy (.852).

Recollections? I have some favorites.

There was the night at Wisconsin in December 2001 when he scored 47 in a double-overtime win. "I took a lot of shots (actually, 38)," he laughed. He also made a three that forced overtime, and an even deeper one in traffic to neccessitate a second. Bo Ryan probably still has bad dreams about it. "I didn't make anything warming up," he noted. "I was thinking, 'Man, it's going to be a rough one here.' Then I couldn't miss."

There was the afternoon at the Palestra in March 2002 when he made a midrange baseline jumper against Tyrone Barley, a tenacious defender, drew a foul and completed the three-point play with 1.2 seconds remaining to beat Saint Joseph's, also in double OT. Again, everyone in the building knew where Temple was going. But he made it happen anyway.

There was the second-round NCAA game in 2000, when the second-seeded Owls lost by two in OT to Seton Hall. The game ended with Greer hoisting a 45-footer that hit off the back rim. "I thought it was good," he said. "As a kid you shoot those shots. Three, two, one. That's what you dream about, except back then it goes in. Of course it was meant to be a loss the way we played."

And there was the 2001 Atlantic 10 quarterfinal at the Spectrum, when the Owls had to win the tournament to get into the NCAAs for the 12th straight time. After being down 10 late, Greer drew a foul with 2.9 left and made three free throws to give them a one-point win. Not only did they go on to win the title, they then got John Chaney to his fifth and final Elite Eight before losing a close one to defending national champion Michigan State. What made the GW moment even more indelible was what had happened to Greer in November 1998, when he missed the second of two freebies against Penn at the end of regulation and the Quakers won in OT. He cried in the locker room. Chaney prophetically said if Greer was lucky, he'd get the chance to fail again.

"It just goes along with Coach Chaney and his vision," Greer marveled. "He understood, way more than us as players did. He'd kind of seen it all before. I learned so much from him . . . It was bigger than basketball.

"He gave you that confidence, that you could really do it."

Greer, who visited the Boston area every summer since he had relatives on his mother's side of the family living there, probably would have gone to Massachusetts had John Calipari not left for the NBA. "My career could have gone a whole different direction," he said. "It may not have turned out as good." He was a pro for a dozen years, most of it in five European countries, and was an MVP several times. These days he's in the real-estate business and lives in the city.

Soon, he'll become part of an exclusive club. Doesn't matter how young he is. He belongs.

"At a time like this I'm just thinking about all the people that helped me along the way," Greer acknowledged. "That's really what's most important. I had a lot of people who were behind me during those years.

"You go through stages. When everybody stood up at McGonigle, I was so small I could barely see the game. When I really started getting into basketball, I wanted to be like those guys. Man, I just wanted to be Rasheed Brokenborough. He was lefthanded, like me. Then I got to play with him. I thought that was unbelievable. It was more about that than trying to (become) legendary, you know."

Didn't stop him from getting there.

"We won a lot of games, a lot of big games," he said. "It was never just about myself."

He was taught well. That's a legacy worth celebrating.

@mikekerndn