The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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WHERE ARE THEY NOW? gan history means I could offer all three things. It was wonderful. It was a blessing to play there for four years. Kids nowadays play one or two years, and they're gone." When it was time to go, Grant made the most of it. A baker's dozen years in the NBA requires a lot, in- cluding toughness and luck. Grant exhibited both, enjoying his younger years with the Clippers, then prov- ing he could keep grinding in other venues. He possessed the characteristic be- yond talent ensuring he could help any franchise. "I played hard," he said. "That was the main thing. That's what allowed me to stay in for 13 years. They knew I played hard on the defensive end, and I was going to give my all." He still does, coaching youth bas- ketball (8- to 14-year-olds) in Cala- basas, Calif. The Michigan Wolver- ines Basketball Club features more than 120 young performers, all under Grant's tutelage. All of it started, assured The Gen- eral, back in Ann Arbor. "Winning two Big Ten titles in a row and going to four NCAA Tour- naments, being ranked No. 1 in the country … it was an incredible ride," he said. ❑ Michigan Accomplishments: Recently selected to the U-M Athletic Hall of Honor … A member of Big Ten championship teams in 1985 and 1986 … A four- year starter, a consensus All-American in 1988, and a first-team All-Big Ten selec- tion in 1987 and 1988 … Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year in 1987 and 1988 … Stands fourth on Michigan's all-time scoring list, with 2,222 points … All-time Michigan leader in assists (731) and steals (300). Michigan Memory: "It was, by far, a basketball game against Iowa. I remember getting four fouls with about eight or nine minutes left. Bill Frieder left me in the game. The game went into double overtime, and I was still getting steals and getting steals. "I had like eight or nine steals in that game. Most of those steals came when I had the four fouls, and in the overtimes. We ended up winning at the buzzer. We all ran into the tunnel, the old tunnel. That was the best game I remember. "Also, we beat Indiana my freshman year, when I hit the last-second shot. I just saw Assembly Hall was so quiet, after I hit the shot at the buzzer. Antoine [Jou- bert] was hugging me at midcourt. I remember that like it was yesterday." Professional Achievements: Selected by the Seattle SuperSonics with the 15th overall pick in the 1988 NBA Draft … Traded to the Los Angeles Clippers, and spent seven seasons there before moving on to New York, Miami and Portland. Education: Earned bachelor's degree in kinesiology, 1989. Family: Grant has three daughters, Taryn, Mahogany and Piper. The Gary Grant File