Temple’s Lynn Greer III is glad to be back on the court after suspension: ‘It’s been a blessing’
Greer III, who played the past two seasons at Saint Joseph's, is now playing for the school where his dad, Lynn Greer II, was an all-time great.
A few weeks before Temple opened its season against Sacred Heart, Lynn Greer III was excited to begin playing for the school where his father, Lynn Greer II, starred and became one of its all-time greats.
All of that came crashing down when Greer received an email from the NCAA saying that he was being investigated for an infraction from his time at St. Joseph’s.
He wasn’t sure what the email meant, what was going to come of it, or if it was even real. He called his father five times trying to get in touch with him to figure out what to do.
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“I always look to my father as someone that can help me through life,” Greer said. “I was definitely very shocked and I was scared because it’s my senior season. I want to achieve all the goals I set for myself and our team. Honestly, I was looking for guidance.”
Greer had lofty expectations for his final season, as he would be linking up with his father, who serves as the chief of staff for the Owls’ men’s basketball program. However, the season got off to a rocky start after he was suspended by Temple for nine games because of the NCAA rules violations. During his time away from the court, Greer learned more about himself.
“I’ve never really had to sit out games,” Greer said. “I was trying to figure out what I was going to do. After a while, it got easier with me stepping away from playing games. I’ve actually found myself, and see myself in a different aspect, not just as a basketball player.”
Greer started playing basketball at around 3 or 4 years old, and thanks to his father, who played professionally in the NBA and abroad, he has been around basketball his entire life.
As a kid, Greer would go to his father’s practices and games dressed up in NBA jerseys, socks, and armbands because he wanted to look like a basketball player. He would even dribble and shoot the ball on the court with the team, the elder Greer said.
“He’s always been a basketball fanatic,” the father said. “He wanted to look and feel like a basketball player everywhere. He really has loved basketball since he was born.”
The younger Greer grew up in Philadelphia, played at Roman Catholic High School, and was a three-time All-Catholic League player. He played one season at Dayton but quickly realized that playing away from home wasn’t for him and transferred to St. Joe’s.
In April, after two years at St. Joe’s, Greer transferred from Hawk Hill to North Broad Street to play for his father’s alma mater. Being part of a team with his father means a lot to Greer.
“Me and my dad’s bond can’t grow any higher than it already is,” he said. “My mom passed away when I was very young. My dad was my hero throughout everything, and being around him, I always wanted to be like him.”
In the six weeks that Greer served his suspension he was still allowed to practice with the team, but not like he was used to.
Because Greer wasn’t playing in games he practiced on the scout team. Instead of preparing for games himself, he was now helping his teammates prepare for their opponents. His efforts in practice didn’t go unnoticed.
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“He’s had kind of a shift,” said Temple coach Adam Fisher. “[We said], ‘Hey, go out there and be the other team’s best player.’ He competes, he plays hard, and he helps set the tone. He’s physical, he talks, and he rebounds.”
After Temple’s loss to Villanova in the Big 5 Classic, Fisher said, he took Greer off the scout team and began integrating him more into the offense during practice to prepare him for his return against Hofstra on Dec. 15,.
Flipping that switch hasn’t been easy, but Greer is confident that the work he put in will help him.
“Nothing in basketball is easy,” Greer said. “It was definitely tough going back and forth, but at the end of the day, Coach Fisher has a plan for me and I just fell in line with the plan. It was smooth even though it was hard, I learned each and every day. I think it really helped me.”
Now that Greer is back on the court, he alleviates a lot of pressure from Jamal Mashburn Jr. and Quante Berry, guards who had on-ball responsibilities in his absence.
With a reputation for being a facilitator, Greer allows Mashburn to play off the ball and take some of the focus away from him, Fisher said.
Greer has played two games since coming back from his suspension, and while he hasn’t been lighting up the stat sheet (4.8 points and 3.3 rebounds), he’s excited to be back out on the court and ready to achieve his and the team’s goals this season.
“[Being back on the court] is honestly a blessing,” Greer said. “Going through what I went through, having to sit out nine games, it was all just a test of my faith. I’ve stayed committed to the team and it’s been a blessing to go out there and finally play.”