Tragedy continues to push Purdue WR Phillips to be best he can be
Full Camp Coverage: Headquarters
During spring break his freshman year of high school, Gregory Phillips was awoken at about 3 in the morning.
It was likely a frantic, emotional scene, with his mom telling him that his step-dad had died in a car accident the evening before. It was a devastating loss, taking away the head of the house and leaving Phillips, Philips’ mom and his sister.
“That’s when everything changed,” said Phillips, a junior wide receiver at Purdue. “That’s when I started taking everything I do more seriously. My work ethic increased. I became the man of the household. I just started doing everything with more of a purpose. I realized that life is too short and you’ve got to enjoy the game while it’s lasts.”
It’s the reason Phillips is the way he is, one of the hardest-working Boilermakers, getting up early for workouts and staying late to watch film. He’s frequently been responsible for getting Purdue’s wide receivers together for workouts, even dating back to his freshman season.
It’s all to turn himself into the best player he can be. And that might be starting to pay off now, with the 6-foot, 201-pounder putting together an impressive training camp. The Lithonia, Ga., native is catching everything sent his direction — he does have two drops, he said, but considering the volume of opportunities, it’s a low percentage — snatching balls out of the air quickly if they’re near his vicinity.
“He’s probably got the strongest hands in the country,” teammate DeAngelo Yancey said.
Phillips’ intense desire started after the death of Elmore Bennett in the spring of 2011. The two didn’t have a perfect relationship, it being similar to that in many mixed families, but they could find common ground to bond.
The night before Bennett’s death, Phillips remembers a conversation about video games — Bennett was offering to buy him one — but Phillips said he didn’t need one.
“You know how it is with step-dads, you always go back and forth because he’s not your dad-dad,” Phillips said after a practice last week. “He’d do anything for me, but that didn’t dawn on me (then), because I wasn’t mature enough. Looking back on it now, I’m like ‘Wow, he was really there for me.’ So I’m very appreciative for his impact in my life, because he was a missing part of my life.
“Here’s the thing, though — this still freaks me out — that following week, going back to school (after spring break), I heard him calling my name. My mom and sister heard it. When he said that, I was like ‘OK, I have to be strong for them,’ because I felt like he had more to say to me. And I had more to say to him.”
Phillips is saying a lot through his actions. Although he might not have elite speed or be physically imposing, he’s making his abilities work to their max.
Last season, he had 13 receptions for 142 yards, but it’s a non-reception that pushes him. The fourth-down jump ball at Michigan State, when Purdue was trying to rally late, still gets to him. The ball was on his hands, and although it would have been a difficult catch, with a Spartan all over him, perhaps even interfering, he thinks he could have had it.
“That’s the one haunts me and drives me,” he said. “It’s my motivation for the upcoming season.
“Every time the ball is in the air, if I can see it, I can catch it. If I drop it, then it’s on me. If it’s overthrown, I’m going to try to go get it. But any time I can see it, I can get it; that’s my motto.”
And Phillips has been extremely consistent during camp, probably the Boilermakers’ most reliable catcher. But how that equates to the season is yet to be determined, since Phillips is still probably Purdue’s fourth receiver, its second in the slot behind Cameron Posey.
Even at that, Phillips is likely to get opportunities, because he’s given himself the chance.
“It’s a combination of everything,” wide receivers coach Gerad Parker said. “No. 1, his football IQ has gone up and he’s very, very strong in the weight room. His numbers in the weight room are very good. That’s what he brings to the field. His endurance is great.
"Is he a 4.4 guy? No. But he’s fast enough to make plenty of plays in this league and he’s able to run at that speed the whole game. He has strong hands and wrists, so he catches everything his way. He’s able to make plays in tight quarters, welcome to the Big Ten.”
Phillips is likely to keep grinding, because it’s who he is, spurred by a tragedy years ago.
“My mom raised me by herself,” he said. “I was that child that no one thought would make it, so I had to make it for her. I had to put a smile on her face, because I saw how hard she worked and it translates to my life. She’s always struggling to make sure I have what I need and she’s keeping it consistent for me, so now I’m doing the same for her, going to work hard for her.”
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