Jersey City, N.J. - Perhaps the best pure shooter to ever grace Yanitelli Center, Willie Haynes, '89 passed away on Monday after a two month battle with colon cancer. He was 43 years old. Haynes left Saint Peter's as the school's all-time leading scorer, tallying 1,730 points. 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.
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. Haynes was also named to the MAAC All-Tournament team in 1989. During his four year career the Peacocks won 79 games, 40 in the MAAC and won the 1986-87 MAAC Regular Season Championship.
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 Saint Peter's with a 3.65 grade point average and always had aspiration to attend law school, which he eventually did.
"I lost my best friend," said Larry Jones, a former SPC standout. "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."
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 Roger 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."
Services for Haynes will be held on Friday in Queens, NY.
Portions of this were story written by and published with permission on former Saint Peter's College Sports Information Director Jim Hague.