Joey Greenstein Jr. scored big for his late father

By all accounts, Joey Greenstein Jr.'s third-quarter jump shot on Jan. 12 had no business going into the basket.

The Franklin Towne Charter senior hoisted a three-pointer from the corner, opposite his team's bench. The rest is best said by those in attendance at the FTC Middle School gym.

"It seemed to bounce around the rim for about 30 seconds," recalled Franklin Towne Charter coach Chris Lauber, who said the gym had never been packed with more supporters than on this day.

"It just kind of was on the rim and circled around," said Sarah Greenstein, Joey's mother.

"There was no possible way it could have went in, but then it did," said FTC senior Cooper Gallagher, Joey's friend since first grade. "It was nuts. I don't even know how that went in."

Joey Greenstein does.

"When I finally saw it go in," said Joey, 18, "it put a smile on my face and a couple tears from my eyes. The whole gym just kind of went insane because I think everyone knew that wasn't me who did that. It was something else, and that something else was my dad."

Joe Greenstein Sr., 43, died of a heart attack in the early hours of Jan. 6 inside the family's home in Northeast Philadelphia. On the morning of the Jan. 12 game, Joey, his family, and friends attended a memorial service for the man his wife sometimes refers to as "Big Joe."

Later that day, Joey scored a career-high 25 points, including 18 in the third quarter, during the Coyotes' 69-39 Public League win against Elverson.

Just two days after his father died, on Jan. 8, Joey, whose favorite player is Joel Embiid, was supposed to take Big Joe to the 76ers game in Brooklyn as a Christmas gift.

"Every time the ball went through the net I was getting the sense that he was actually here with me because I don't usually have great games like that," said Greenstein, whose previous best was 18 points.

Video of the improbable shot, captured by friends at the game, actually shows the ball hitting the backboard first before catching the back of the rim and then circling the basket before falling through.

Even Dale Mountney, the 69-year-old referee who had no stake in the game and didn't know of the situation when the game began, was moved.

"After I knew his father passed away, it was like an angel was on his shoulder kind of a thing," he said, adding later, "I was emotional after I left."

Greenstein's mother was overwhelmed.

She and Big Joe would have celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary on June 4. They were in the process of planning the honeymoon they never had, which, she said, would likely have turned into a family vacation because they were all so close.

When the family picked up Big Joe's ashes, they drove his black 1992 convertible Pontiac Firebird, which he restored, and played Montell Jordan's song, "This Is How We Do It." It was the couple's song.

"He was one in a million," Sarah Greenstein said. "I don't think there was anyone who didn't like him. He was just an all-around good guy."

Big Joe worked six days a week as a finance manager at a car dealership near the Airport Automall and was a reserved man in public, but a "goofball" in private.

Emily Greenstein, 19, Joey's only sibling, said she and her brother would capture their father doing silly things on Snapchat.

"Seeing his smile on the videos helps a lot," said Emily, who will turn 20 on Jan. 28. "It settles a lot of the feelings that I have, and getting to hear his voice again is always such nice reassurance. It does help."

Emily studies nursing at Bucks County Community College, where her original intention was to go into neonatal care. Now she wants to earn her master's degree and focus on the cardiovascular system to help others with heart problems.

Sarah said the family was together about 2:11 a.m. on the Friday that her husband died. Joey said a small measure of comfort came from their all being together.

More comfort was found when several of Big Joe's organs were used to help others.

"He's giving life to a lot of other people," said Sarah Greenstein, whose late father, John Gawlinski, was a recipient of a heart transplant.

Sarah also credited Big Joe with saving her own life when she had a stroke on St. Patrick's Day last year. He recognized the signs while the two were in bed that night, carried her to the car, and drove her to Nazareth Hospital, where she was treated in time and has recovered well.

Joey Greenstein, a three-time class president and four-time student government participant, hopes to attend Arcadia University and possibly study physical therapy to stay close to sports. He bonded with his father watching Sixers and Eagles games, and they loved to joke around.

"At first, I didn't really get it," Sarah Greenstein said. "I'd say, 'Joe, go do your homework.' And he'd say, 'Mom, trust The Process!' "

Joey had little hesitation about playing on the same day he "said goodbye to Dad for the last time."

He believed that was what his father would have wanted. He did, however, admit that in the first half he tried too hard to have a good game.

In the second half, however, he said he let the game come to him.

"Tears were coming down from myself, my teammates, and my mom in the stands," he said. "The atmosphere was amazing just to have people there cheering, not just for me but for the whole team because people know how much my team means to me."

His love for his father, Sarah said, was also well known.

"Before the game, he said, 'Mom, I'm going out, and I'm going to make Dad proud,' " she said.

"He did that and then some."

@AceCarterINQ

Cartera@phillynews.com