August 11, 2009
Grant finds his match
Fit is foremost. This applies to shoes, jeans, shirts -- you name it -- including college choice. St. Francis of Mountain View’s Shawn Grant looked at numerous next destinations since last May and finally found a school that fit him like, yes, a glove. Where did the 6-foot-4 guard land?
Grant is heading east
The 6-foot-4 Grant went out big as a high school senior, what with St. Francis going 12-2 in West Catholic Athletic League (WCAL) play, 30-3 overall and coming up a game short of a possible state championship. He earned multiple personal accolades: Mercury News Player of the Year, WCAL co-player of the year, Palo Alto Daily News Player of the Year, and CCS Player of the Year.
Although none of us can unequivocally forsee the future, Grant knows what he wants to achieve in the next four or five years -- a college degree and success on the court. He made multiple visits to a succession of schools but just didn’t find The One. Whether it was location, level of education, the basketball opportunity or something else, his recruitment remained open. Now Grant is headed to the America East Conference member University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) on a basketball scholarship and will be playing for Coach Randy Monroe.
UMBC has participated in the America East championship game in both of the last two seasons, winning in 2007-2008 when UMBC played Georgetown in the Big Dance. Combine that situation with six basketball players earning their degrees in 2009 and Grant felt comfortable that he would be entering a winning program, one that also graduated it student-athletes and had playing time available to be earned.
"I developed a good relationship with the coaches and it’s a program that has made it to the NCAAs recently and does well in its conference," Grant explained. The school is just outside Baltimore and about 40 minutes away from Washington. Also, former West Valley Basketball Club teammate and sophomore-to-be Stephen Lumpkins plays at American University in D.C.
What Grant’s been told is that "I’ll play multiple positions, probably the two and the three." Opportunity is available as 6-foot-4 senior all-time scoring leader Darryl Proctor has graduated as has top UMBC assist man Jay Greene.
He leaves in a couple of weeks with schools beginning September 1. Grant hasn’t officially selected a major but has an interest in both business and communications.
His advice to those now entering the 2010 recruiting process? "Definitely take your time and find a place where you have a good relationship with the coaching staff and the players. Trust yourself to make the right decision."
In an earlier interview, Grant said "I am looking for a school with a really good college feel to it. I want coaches that will have the best interest in me and are driven to win. Probably the most important thing about the program is that I want it to be successful and help make me a better player every year."
Mission accomplished.