Greenslit a throwback

December 6, 2005

By Peter Gobis
Attleboro Sun Chronicle Staff Writer

They refer to him as "old school," around the athletic department at Wheaton College. A kid with old world values, a student-athlete who plays for the sake of playing, not just one sport, but two - a rarity in any NCAA division these days.

For the past three years now, James Greenslit has taken only one day off when the Lyons' soccer season ended, putting away his booter's cleats and lacing up his basketball shoes. First soccer in the fall, basketball in the winter, then back to spring soccer.

"I don't know what I'm going to do with myself this spring," chuckled the Wheaton College senior from Framingham, who has carved his niche in the Lyons' athletic history.

Greenslit is the two-time New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Soccer Player of the Year, a three-time NCAA All-America selection and a three-time All-New England pick. He has also become an indispensable member of the Wheaton men's basketball team, which has three consecutive winning seasons and two ECAC Tournament appearances with him as a cast member on the floor.

During Greenslit's soccer career at Wheaton, he currently ranks fourth in all-time match appearances with 81, having started 78 consecutive matches. During that time, the Lyons have compiled a 64-17-6 record, won two NEWMAC titles, qualified for three NCAA Tournaments, including a Final Four appearance in 2003.

As a stopper back on the defensive backline for coach Matt Cushing, Greenslit's presence has enabled Wheaton to allow just 52 goals through the past three seasons, an 0.78 goals against average with 32 shutouts.

"He's the type of kid that should have played in the 1950s and '60s, that's why we call him 'old school,'" said Wheaton basketball coach Brian Walmsley of Greenslit's infectious spirit, his commitment and dedication and contributions that don't always show up on the stat sheet.

"He's not, per se, a basketball player," continued Walmsley. "He just plays a simple game and he's our best defender. He has an intensity that you can't teach.

"After soccer season, we give him one day off and then he comes in. He can play five minutes or 20 minutes, he can score 20 points or no points - he has the same demeanor. He's a joy to coach."

Greenslit played every sport growing up. He was a gym rat at the Framingham YMCA and a kid who always played "up" on his various youth soccer teams. "I was just taller and quicker and I'd be playing with or against kids three or four years older than me," he said of developing an intrinsic toughness.

He attended the Rivers School, a college preparatory institution, by chance. A basketball coach there saw Greenslit playing in a CYO Tournament, with little knowledge that soccer was actually his sport of choice.

"One of my friends went there and I got a good financial aid package, so I went there and ended up playing soccer, basketball and baseball," he said.

A number of Division I colleges, including Boston College and Holy Cross were recruiting Greenslit to play soccer, along with a host of other Division II and III programs - one of which was Wheaton. He visited, liked the small college atmosphere, the chance to play with a winning soccer program, maybe some basketball too, the academic environment and support system.

"I didn't want to play just Division I soccer, I wanted to play basketball as well," said Greenslit, whose appearance on the Lyons' hoop roster as an off-guard or small forward at 6-foot-1 is a story of dreams. Due to his commitment to soccer and academics as a freshman, Greenslit figured that he would not have time to play basketball.

But during his sophomore year, the Wheaton men's basketball team was in a physical quandary, a number of players being sidelined by injuries. Walmsley knew of Greenslit's pedigree and invited him to a no-questions-asked, 10-day tryout.

"He said that 'we need you now,'" said Greenslit of the offer, "and if things work out, he could come back as a team member after the winter break. So I said, 'okay, I'll do it' and he has been a most important member, doing all of the dirty work - the defense, the rebounding, the diving for loose balls, the occasional points.

Take for instance, Wheaton's game last week against Emerson College. On three consecutive sequences, Greenslit did what he does best - contribute in some small way, the result was a 14-4 surge and a 22-point lead for the Lyons.

First, he had the ball in his hands under the Wheaton basket for an inbounds passing play and got it to a teammate for a basket. The next time down the floor, Greenslit latched onto an offensive rebound and Wheaton again scored. And on the very next trip, he buried a three-point field goal from the left of the lane.

"It's tough at times, juggling the two sports and all of the school work, but I've been doing it all through high school too," said Greenslit, an economics major. "It's not too difficult for me, I like to be active. And playing both sports helps me with skills in each, especially the defense - just keep the man in front of you."

Greenslit has been fortunate with his health too, suffering a broken foot during his freshman soccer season, but otherwise at practice or in uniform despite the bumps and bruises, the soreness and the sprains. "I think that it's more luck than anything else," he said.

As the central defender for the soccer team, Greenslit relies on positioning and a bit of nastiness to get the job done. "At that position, you have to be in control of the team," he said of communicating with his goalie, the midfielders. "You have to have a vocal role. On the basketball floor, it's a bit different. But defense is a mentality that you have to have, in both sports - to not let your man score."

Greenslit's tenaciousness is the reason that Walmsley brings him off the bench, "he's adamant about having the guards rebound," he said. "Most teams are taller than us, it's tough, but we need all five guys to rebound."

With a full slate of practices and games and classes, "I always find time to get my (academic) work done," said Greenslit, who would be up at 6 a.m. each morning when classes resumed after the spring break in March for spring soccer training. "You just have to manage your study time - when practice time is and when to get stuff done. Sports helps you with that. It gives you a time schedule, so you know when to do things. It's an advantage for me."

Greenslit's parents promoted fair play and sportsmanship, to listen to his coaches, not to give anything less than his best effort. "A lot of people will say that it doesn't matter whether you win or lose, but how you play the game. But, I want to win. I've been fortunate, we've had winning teams here at Wheaton.

"It's been great fun, I've been able to do what not many have been able to do." And very well.

This page is maintained by Scott Dietz. Last updated on 12/6/05.
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