There’s no question that the Internet has been a wonderful thing in terms of communication, learning, information, you name it. It’s opened the doors to the world. It’s not called the worldwide web for nothing.
About two years ago or so, I was introduced to the website called Facebook. I didn’t know much about Facebook, but I had friends who swore by it, so I decided to join.
And in reality, Facebook has been a godsend because it has enabled me to touch base with so many people that I had lost touch with over the years – old grammar school pals, high school and college friends, kids I once coached, and friends who just get lost in the shuffle during the course of time.
For example, I have about nine of the girls that I coached in basketball at the old Academy of St. Aloysius back in 1992 and 1993 as Facebook friends, and we keep in contact almost on a daily basis. It’s really a joy to have.
It’s also enabled me to reach out to some of the former athletes I worked with during my stint as the sports information director at St. Peter’s College from 1986 through 1990.
It was a time of my life that I thoroughly enjoyed, getting to see the athletes mature and develop. I got to know them as young men and women, nurturing close, personal relationships that have lasted a lifetime.
One of those great athletes whom I became very close to was a young man from upstate New York, a basketball player from a suburb of Buffalo called Lockport, named Willie Haynes.
Haynes was perhaps the best pure shooter to ever grace Yanitelli Center. From 17 feet and in, Haynes was practically automatic. He would nail jump shot after jump shot like he was a machine. It was all because Haynes spent countless hours in the gym, honing his craft.
That dedication led to a brilliant career at Harvard on the Boulevard. Haynes would leave SPC as the school’s all-time leading scorer, tallying 1,730 points. He earned All-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference honors all four seasons, three times as a Second Team honoree (1986, 1987 and 1988) and once as a First Team recipient (1989), a year when he was a finalist for the prestigious Haggerty Award.
During his senior year, Haynes had a remarkable run, hitting the game-winning shot in nine of the Peacocks’ 22 wins that season.
When the MAAC named its All-Time team in 2006, as part of the league’s 25th anniversary, Haynes earned a spot on the All-MAAC team of the 1980s.
Haynes was also a brilliant student/athlete, earning MAAC All-Academic honors three times and Academic All-American honors twice. He graduated from SPC with a 3.65 grade point average and always had aspiration to attend law school, which he eventually did.
Willie was also someone who I was very close to. On a daily basis, he made sure he spent time in my office, just to shoot the breeze or he would come in to read the newspapers. Willie always knew I had about six different daily newspapers with me every day.
One year, I made sure that each player on the Peacock roster had a nickname. It was always a struggle to gain attention for our athletic teams, so I figured that if the players had a catchy nickname, it would help the media know them better. So there were players with the names of Snagglepuss, Cecil Turtle, Otis Ears, Silk, Jazzy and He-Man.
Willie wanted to know what his nickname was going to be. Because he always had the same serious, sullen look upon his face, I dubbed him “Stone,” because of the stone cold look on his mug.
Not only did Haynes embrace the name, he referred to himself with the name. He once told an interviewer, “I guess that’s why they call me ‘The Stone.’ ” It was classic.
A lot of people totally misunderstood Willie, thinking he was standoffish and aloof. They didn’t know him like I did. He was intelligent and funny and good natured and serious and dedicated and determined, all rolled into one. He was fiercely competitive and wanted to win so much that he carried his team to victory time and time again. During his four years at SPC, the Peacocks won 79 games. The Peacocks have not enjoyed that same string of success since.
I had lost touch with Willie for many years, until last year, when he requested me as a friend on Facebook. We chatted several times. I got to see pictures of his children, who are now almost the same age as he was when he first came to Jersey City.
It was good to have him back.
However, the good times shared with Haynes were so totally short lived. That’s because Willie was diagnosed with colon cancer and the hideous disease claimed another life, when cancer took Willie Monday night. He was 43 years old.
Tough news
The news of Haynes’ passing hit a lot of people hard, a lot of people linked together once again through Facebook. Former teammates and long-time friends paused to reflect about their memories of Willie, just like I did.
“I lost my best friend,” said Larry Jones, a former SPC standout, a close teammate of Jones and the father of NBA star Dahntay Jones. “He was an incredible friend. Willie didn’t want a lot of people to know about his illness. He wanted to fight it to the end. I can’t begin to tell you how much I’ve been reminiscing about Willie, thinking of our personal conversations. I’m remembering games, practices, but even our non-basketball stuff. He was so dedicated to the game and a real student/athlete and that’s a lost art.”
Jones knows the value of an education. He’s currently the chief information officer for Johnson & Johnson in New Brunswick, where he’s been for the last 21 years.
“My relationship with Willie is something I’ve been able to use in real life,” Jones said. “He’s been a great friend.”
Jersey City native Jasper Walker was the point guard who fed the ball to Haynes hundreds of times over their two years together.
“I never played with anyone who could stick a jump shot with that kind of accuracy,” Walker said. “He had ice running through his veins. You give him a jump shot from 17 feet and in, he’s going to make that shot. The games he was able to win for us. He excelled under pressure. He loved the pressure, more than anyone else. He was a diligent worker and applied that to his studies as well. That’s how I’ll remember him, how he was able to balance his academics with basketball.”
Former teammate Daren Rowe recalled Haynes incredible practice regimen.
“I remember telling him that he had to get out of the gym, because he was making us all look bad,” Rowe said. “He was a gym rat. He was a great kid who became the school’s all-time leading scorer. We had a great time together. It’s definitely a loss. He was an incredibly kind-hearted individual. He was very focused at what he wanted to do. He was hard working and very dedicated.”
Jersey City native Tommy Best was a Peacock standout who graduated from SPC in 1984 and was an assistant coach during Haynes’ freshman year. Best is currently the girls’ basketball coach at Lincoln High School in Jersey City.
“I was a little bit like a big brother to Willie, showing him around Jersey City,” Best recalled. “I was told to make sure he did the right thing. But Willie was focused. He wasn’t going to get into trouble. He was a great guy. He was always so positive.”
Ted Fiore, who was Willie’s head coach for three seasons, recalled Haynes’ work ethic.
“I still use his name today with my players,” said Fiore, who is the head coach at Montclair State. “His work ethic stood out above everything. He was just so committed to excellence. We had plays back then that we called ‘Willie,’ designed to have him get the ball and make the shot. He made me look good as a coach. He was also incredibly loyal to everyone.”
Former SPC head coach Rodger Blind, who was an assistant coach with the Peacocks during Haynes’ incredible four-year tenure, recalled Haynes’ determination as well.
“He was a perfectionist,” said Blind, currently the head boys’ basketball coach at Millburn High School. “I’d see him in the gym on his own or at practice and he would be doing the same routine every single day. He had the perfect follow through on his shot. I tell my players now that they should shoot that way. He would make shot after shot. I was surprised when he missed a shot. That’s what I’ll remember, him being a perfectionist. He was very quiet, soft spoken and very gentlemanly.”
Haynes still ranks third on the school’s all-time scoring list, behind Keydren Clark and Ricky Bellinger. He’s seventh on the all-time field goal percentage list, but the only one under 6-feet on that list. He’s also third in total field goals made.
But Willie Haynes left a legacy that was far more than game-winning jump shots and intense dedication. He was a great guy, one who was so totally beloved by so many.
And thanks to Facebook, I got a chance to reconnect with “The Stone.” I’m so glad I did – albeit for just a very short time. We have to do something to reconnect with the others while we’re all still around. Maybe when we do, we can reflect on one of the greatest players and winners to ever grace Peacock Nation.
Funeral services were set for Willie’s hometown in Lockport, but SPC officials said that they will hold a memorial service in his honor at the school in the near future. That would be the ultimate tribute to my friend, Willie Haynes.
Jim Hague can be reached at OGSMAR@aol.com.