Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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"Jerian did such a great job," head coach Mike Brey said. "It's such a pro move there, backing down and find- ing the shooter in the corner. I think we have a lot of confidence in Steve to take it." Calling it a "pro move" might not be hyperbole. Grant averaged 17.0 points and 6.2 assists during Notre Dame's first 26 games of his senior season. The Bowie, Md., native has certainly improved his NBA Draft stock and is now considered by some to be a pos- sible lottery pick. (The first 14 picks of the draft go to non-playoff teams and are called lottery picks.) "I think he's a pro player," Michi- gan State head coach Tom Izzo said of Grant after the guard torched the Spartans for 27 points Dec. 3. "He's so unselfish. He gets fouled, he makes passes, he defends pretty well. He's as complete a guard as we've played against so far. "I told him after the game I was very, very impressed with him. You don't see many guys that can pass it, shoot it, get to the rack, defend pretty good, get a couple of rebounds, a couple steals … that's a full night's work. If we're in hockey, he's the No. 1 star." Last winter, when it became official that Grant would miss the second half of the season due to an academic sus- pension, he could have just called it the end of his collegiate career and en- tered the NBA Draft. He almost assur- edly would have been selected in the second round, but he had unfinished business in South Bend. Senior captain Pat Connaughton also had a difficult decision to make after the Baltimore Orioles drafted him last spring. Connaughton participated with a minor league affiliate before returning to Notre Dame in late July to prepare for the foreign tour in Italy. Moments like the late-game plays to secure a win against Duke are what led the senior duo to return. "I said to him coming out of the huddle when it was tied with three minutes and 48 seconds left [against Grant, a senior guard, averaged 17.0 points and 6.2 assists per game to help Notre Dame to a 22-4 start and a top-10 national ranking. PHOTO BY JOE RAYMOND