Bentley U. basketball player who died had ties to Lynn

LYNN – The sudden death of Bentley University basketball player Joey Glynn jolted athletes, officials and coaches in the Lynn area.Glynn, only 19, collapsed under the basket with 2:47 left in the first half a during men?s recreational league game in WatertownMonday with many of his former Middlesex Magic Amateur Athletic Union teammates. But although the Abington native played his high school sports at Cardinal Spellman in Brockton, he was a close friend of his college teammate, Jasper Grassa of Lynn; and he played against St. Mary?s and Bishop Fenwick in both football and basketball.?I am in disbelief,” said Grassa, who was The Item?s player of the year in basketball in his senior season at Classical. “I still don?t think I?ve taken it all in.”?It just gives you a sick feeling,” said St. Mary?s football coach Matt Durgin, who watched Glynn?s Spellman team beat his Spartans twice, denying them league championships both times.?It?s just awful,” Durgin said. “It puts everything else in perspective, though, doesn?t it?”Paul Halloran of Grant Communications in Lynn was one of the referees.?I didn?t see him go down,” Halloran said. “I had already turned to go up the court. But when it happened, everyone kind of stopped. I?d say 9-1-1 was called within 30 seconds, and paramedics where there within five minutes.?They worked on him on the court, and then worked on him some more in the ambulance for about 15 minutes, from what I understand, before they took him to Mt. Auburn Hospital, where they still worked on him.Halloran said prior to Glynn?s collapse, there was no indication of any problem.?None,” he said. “He looked like a very in-shape 19-year-old athlete.”Grassa said Glynn was “just a real good kid ? always doing the right thing.?But more important,” said Grassa, “he was a really good friend. We all looked out for each other. Joey brought a lot of energy to us.He was very unselfish, and smart. He did all those little things that you have to do to win. At Bentley, they recruit men and not just basketball players, and that was really true in his case.”Grassa said he was driving home from Bentley when his coach called with the news.?I had to pull off the road,” he said, “just to take it all in. ButI still don?t think I have. I haven?t even thought about basketball yet. All I know is I?ve lost a friend.”?Every so often, you get the privilege to coach against a special kid. And Joey was definitely a special kid,” said Kevin Moran, who stepped down two months ago after a successful career coaching basketball at St. Mary?s. “All of us at St. Mary?s extend our condolences to the Spellman and Bentley families.”Steve Krause can be reached at [email protected].