UNC's Green attempts to move on
It was almost understood that after dinner Danny Green Sr. would grab a basketball and take his three sons — which included Danny Jr. — out in the backyard.
Danny Green's mother left when he was 12. The eldest son wasn't all that close with his mom, but shared a tight bond — besides just the name — with his father.
His father raised three kids nearly alone. Danny, 19, is now a sophomore at North Carolina. Rashad, 18, is spending a post-grad year at Bridgton Academy and the youngest is 10-year-old Devonte. Sure, the elder Green had some help from the boys' grandmother and a pair of uncles, but he was basically the father, mother and everything else all rolled into one.
"We did everything together," said Green Jr. "Everything. He was my dad, but he was also my best friend."
Now dad calls Riverhead Correctional Facility, out in the outskirts of Long Island, home. It's been that way for the past 11 months or so — when he was arrested along with two others and charged with drug trafficking.
Green was in his dorm that night in April. One of his friends called and told him to call his house in North Babylon, N.Y.
The cops were out front. A lot of them.
"I kept calling, maybe 10 or 15 times," Green Jr. said. "Nobody was picking up."
Finally, Green's uncle called.
"They raided your house," he told him. "They arrested your father, but it was a mix-up and everything's going to be OK."
That was nearly one year ago.
Green, a role player on Roy Williams' loaded Tar Heels team, was lost knowing his father was behind bars. This was his best friend, his hero, his idol.
"I couldn't sleep much at all," he said. "I couldn't focus on school and my grades were falling off. Sometimes I didn't feel like going to class. I was depressed."
Green isn't one to wear his emotions on his sleeve. In fact, to say he's stone-faced might be selling him short.
But when he went to visit his father in New York, not even he could control himself when he first laid eyes on his dad.
"I had never been to jail before," Green said. "It hurt to see him. I wanted to get him out."
The tears began to well up in Green's eyes as the two embraced.
"I'd never broken down like that before," he admitted.
"I've never seen him break down," added Rashad Green. "He's always been strong."
But it's been a difficult year for Green.
His minutes and production have decreased with the influx of young talent. He broke up with his girlfriend and his father is incarcerated. The family is struggling to pay the mortgage and may have to rent out or even sell their North Babylon home.
Green Sr. usually calls his son the day after his games.
"It's been hard for him because obviously no one expects something like this to happen to them," said Green's close friend and former summer-league coach, Gary Charles. "But his father made it clear to him to stay focused."
"One thing that has really helped Danny deal with all of this is that he's always been mild-mannered," added Charles. "He's more mature than most kids his age."
The elder Green is still waiting to see what happens.
"He didn't want to cop out to a felony," Green Jr. said. "He wanted to fight it because he didn't feel as if he did anything wrong. They thought he was associated with someone, but he didn't do anything wrong. But now he might cop out to a felony, because he wants to get out of there."
"His father is just waiting for his day in the sun," added Charles. "He's just waiting until it goes to trial."
While dad waits, his best friend moves on.
"It's tough," Green said. "My father's not around."
But Green still remembers all those nights on Nevada Road in North Babylon every time he takes the court.
2 votes
