BASKETBALL STAR MICHAEL HAYNES SHOT AND KILLED NEAR HIS CHICAGO HOME, WAS HEADED TO IONA & WAS A STAR IN THE HOOD

Iona recruit Michael Haynes was shot and killed in Chicago on Thursday, police said. Haynes, 22,
was shot while attempting to break up a fight, his cousin told the Chicago Sun-Times. Police said he was shot in the wrist, chest and lower back and was declared dead at a hospital more than an hour later, according to the Sun-Times.

"He was an innocent victim, very loved by everybody," Haynes' cousin, Kandice Blouin told the Sun-Times. "He was our meal ticket. He was going to heal this hood and they took his life." Haynes, a 6-foot-7 forward, averaged 6.9 points and 4.5 rebounds for Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa, Iowa, last season, the New York Daily News reported.

"It's just so hard," Iona coach Tim Cluess told the Daily News. "I don't know how to describe it. Once you got to know Michael you just couldn't wait to coach him. He came from a very rough area in Chicago and he just wanted to make a better life for himself. He was just looking for a chance to change his life."

               **** MICHAEL HAYNES HIGHLIGHT REEL ****