Master’s Showcases Greer in 74-53 Win

As debuts go, it was far from spectacular, but neither Damon Greer, nor Master’s College Coach Mel Hankinson, nor anyone in the estimated crowd of 650 at Bross Gymnasium was complaining after the Master’s 74-53 victory over Cal Baptist in a National Assn. of Intercollegiate Athletics District 3 men’s basketball game Tuesday night.

Greer, one of 10 players who quit San Jose State’s team in January protesting what he called then-Coach Bob Berry’s verbal abuse and mental cruelty, had six points, four assists and three rebounds in his first collegiate game in more than 11 months.

“I was just glad to be back out there,” Greer said. “I had the butterflies as usual, but my main concern was to just help the team and not make too many mistakes.”

While it was obvious that Greer will need several more games to be totally comfortable on the floor again, the former Cleveland High standout did show flashes of brilliance that left the crowd oohing and aahing.

On two occasions in the second half, Greer fed teammate Tom Bruner (18 points) with passes on fast breaks that resulted in a two-hand jam and a layup. Later, the 6-foot guard went above the rim to tip in a missed layup by David Humphreys.

“We certainly feel good about his first night out,” Hankinson said. “The addition of him and Humphreys make us a very strong team at the point-guard position . . . That’s a very excited locker room in there right now. Those guys are talking about winning 10 games in a row.

“Damon adds a whole new dimension to our team. With his athletic ability, he has the capability of scoring or setting up a basket at any moment. His addition makes us one of the strongest college division teams in this region.”