Through his mother’s eyes, Ryan Greer has his father’s game.
From his court awareness to his deft passing, Greer, a senior guard for the Chancellor basketball team, takes so much after his late father. Billy Greer was a former Stafford High standout who became a beloved coach in the Fredericksburg area before dying of cancer five years ago.
But when Jennifer Greer watches her son play, she also sees the influence of his stepfather. Rob Reich has been a big presence in Ryan’s life, and has skippered the Chargers to the Group AA, Division 4 state playoffs for the first time in school history in his first year as head coach.
Chancellor (21–7) takes on Potomac Falls (25–4) today in the state quarterfinals at Robinson High School in Fairfax.
“His dad was a big passer and was very smart, and I see that in Ryan,” Jennifer Greer said. “He instilled that since the time Ryan was born—knowing the court, seeing the game, knowing what’s around you. His dad could thread a needle with a ball. He was the passer. I see that when Ryan’s out there.
“And then I see the combo of Mr. Shooter over here,” Jennifer added as she looked at Reich. “He’s got his hands on him too.”
At 6-foot-3, and 175 pounds Greer has a great floor game like his dad. Thanks to a healthy dose of gym work with Reich, he also has developed a textbook
3-point shot.
Greer, 17, is averaging 13 points, three assists and three steals per game this season for the Chargers, and he has made a staggering 52 percent of his long-range shots.
“He can shoot the ball, man. His form is so mechanically correct that his margin for error is little,” said Reich, a skilled 3-point shooter in his playing days.
Greer used to think he had no chance of playing college basketball, but his mindset changed this year. Greer committed Wednesday to play next year at Division III Mary Washington. He credits his much-improved shooting for earning him a chance to play at the next level.
“That’s probably the main reason [UMW recruited me],” Greer said.
‘I’M JUST HAPPY’
Through his mother’s eyes, Ryan Greer has his father’s joy for life.
Billy Greer packed a lot into his 38 years. He was a devoted husband and father, a competitive athlete and sportsman. He was enthusiastic about helping others. All the while, he took the time to savor every experience.
“He is the most influential [coach I’ve ever had],” said Jason Morgan, a junior forward at Chancellor who has already accepted a scholarship offer to play baseball at North Carolina. “He’s definitely No. 1. I don’t think there’s anybody that comes near.
“He wasn’t just a coach. He was like a second father. You can tell he really cared. He wasn’t there just to win games. He cared about who you became.”
Ryan is driven in much the same way. He maintains a contagious exuberance, despite battling through major heartbreak over the last five years.
“He wants to win, but he cares about everybody,” Morgan said of Ryan. “He’ll have your back no matter what.”
Ryan has been especially happy recently after Chancellor clinched a spot in the state basketball playoffs.
“All my friends are like, ‘Why are you smiling?’ I’m just happy,” Ryan said.
Ryan has endured his fair share of disappointment throughout his young basketball career—from not making the junior varsity team as a freshman (he eventually was promoted) to suffering a devastating knee injury last year that sidelined him for several months.
His resilience in the face of adversity got him to this point.
“I think he certainly deserves it. He went through a brave time with his dad,” said Mariann Greer, Billy’s mother and Ryan’s grandmother. “It was rough on the little guy, but he’s come through. His grades are good. He’s a good citizen, a good athlete, and I think he’s a positive role model in the community.”
It’s a storybook ending to Ryan’s high school career, making the state playoffs as a senior with his stepdad serving as head coach.
“That’s probably been the best part, just because he’s my stepdad and I’ve known him my whole life,” Ryan said of Reich. “I think he’s brought the team together. It’s been awesome to experience it with him.”
Ryan has also taken the time to include his dad in this year’s success. Chancellor says a team prayer before taking the court every game, and usually after that Ryan will privately say a couple of words to his dad.
He thinks of his father every time he steps on the court.
“I play for him. He taught me the game. He’s the one who brought me to this game,” Ryan said. “I wish he could be here to celebrate with us, but I know he’s celebrating up there in heaven.”
‘I NEED TO DO THIS’
Rob Reich and Jennifer Greer were friends a long time before either of them thought of the other romantically.
Reich likes to joke that until about three years ago, he didn’t know the color of Jennifer’s eyes.
“She has big gorgeous green eyes,” he said.
When Reich and Jennifer first met, they were both happily married, but the cruel turns of life eventually drew them closer.
Reich and Billy Greer were best friends for years. They shared a love of basketball and of competition. Their families spent a lot of time together.
Billy was one of Reich’s biggest coaching influences. Reich had done a little bit of coaching but never seriously thought of it as a passion. Billy started a youth camp in his Kingswood neighborhood in Fredericksburg—where he now has a basketball court named in his honor—and asked Reich to help. Eventually, Reich got hooked on coaching.
But then Billy got sick. He had soreness in his left hip and doctors eventually discovered a tumor that had spread throughout his body.
He fought the cancer with every bit of energy he had before losing the battle on March 9, 2008.
Before he died, Billy gathered Reich and some other close friends together and asked them to look after Jennifer and Ryan, who was 12 at the time. He also requested that they continue his youth camp.
It was an emotional moment, but Reich didn’t need to be asked. He had grown close to Jennifer, regarding her as a great friend, and Ryan was like a son to him. He planned to remain a big part of their lives.
Reich especially wanted to be a father figure to Ryan.
“It wasn’t like, ‘Oh I need to do this because of Billy.’ It was more of a sense of I need to do this because I love this kid,” Reich said.
Billy’s death was the first gut-punch to what was generally a happy life for Reich. A couple years later, he went through a painful divorce.
Reich provided Jennifer and Ryan a shoulder to cry on after Billy died, and Jennifer and Ryan offered refuge for Reich in his time of need.
Reich and Jennifer grew closer during their hardships and eventually struck up a romance. They dated for a while before getting married on July 17, 2010.
“Even before we got married, we talked to Ryan and said, ‘What do you think about this? We know this is kind of weird. He’s been in your life since you were 4. Now we’re getting married,’” Jennifer said. “And Ryan said, ‘I think dad would be happy, and I’m happy with it.’
“I think Billy would be very proud. I think he would be proud that his best friend had stepped in and helped us and that Ryan became the player that he is.”
‘IT’S VERY STORYBOOK’
There are reminders of Billy throughout the house Reich and Jennifer share with Ryan and Reich’s three children from his previous marriage.
Framed pictures of Billy rest on the mantle above the fireplace. Handwritten greeting cards from Billy are also on display in the house.
When he knew he was dying, Billy carefully selected stacks of greeting cards and wrote until his hands were sore. He wrote a card for Ryan to open on every birthday until he turns 25 and also cards for big moments in Ryan’s life, like graduation and marriage. He wrote anniversary cards to Jennifer, and penned cards for players he coached.
“I actually have [his card] hanging on my wall in my bedroom,” Morgan said. “It was a thank you card, but he wrote this whole long paragraph where he basically told us he was dying and that we had to play on and just play for him.
“I still miss him. I miss him every day and I wish he could be here, but God obviously had a different plan for him.”
Billy would be happy to know that his wife and son are content and still savoring the good things in life. He’d also be happy to know that his memory is still very much alive.
“It’s very storybook, but very genuine,” Jennifer said. “I’m so blessed to have two wonderful men in my life and Ryan to have been OK with the whole situation, because he and I are tight. We’ve been through a lot.”
Ryan said he is grateful to have Reich in his life, as a father figure and a coach.
“When my dad died, [Reich] would come over and talk to us about life and make sure we were OK and just stand by our side,” Ryan said. “Now he’s by my side every day, and it’s great.”
Nathan Warters: 540/374-5442
Source:
http://news.fredericksburg.com/sports/2013/03/01/boys-basketball-grief-setbacks-cant-deter-chargers-greer/
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