Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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IRISH IN THE PROS BY ANDREW OWENS A fter New York Knicks star Car- melo Anthony requested that the coaching staff play the younger players more often down the stretch, former Irish guard Jerian Grant fin- ished the season on a sizzling note for the organiza- tion. In his first career start April 1, Grant posted 14 points and four assists against the Brook- lyn Nets. In five of six April games, he scored at least 14 points and notched a career-high 19 against the Toronto Raptors April 10. All told, he aver- aged 30.8 minutes, 14.5 points, 3.7 re- bounds, 3.7 assists and 1.3 steals per contest, while shooting 49.3 percent from the field and 36.8 percent from three-point range. "When you get in there, you know you can just play a little bit," he told reporters. "You're not looking over your shoulder every second after you make a mistake or miss a shot. You move on to the next play." While running the point, Grant's assist-to-turnover ratio was only 2.0, which is less than ideal. The rookie, however, said his focus was on shot selection. "You go in there for two minutes, you miss a shot, you come right out [and wonder], 'Man, what's go- ing on here?'" he said. "One thing the guys told me is you can't let peo- ple take your con- fidence. "That happened to me earlier this s e a s o n . A s t h e games have gone on, I've been able to play with more confidence." The entire team, including Grant, is entering a state of transition this offseason with the organization currently holding a head coaching vacancy. Grant averaged 5.6 points and 2.3 assists while seeing action in 76 games with the Knicks during his rookie season. Fellow first-year player Pat Con- Big City Production For Jerian Grant Grant finished his rookie season with the New York Knicks strong, averaging 30.8 minutes, 14.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.3 steals per game in April. PHOTO BY DAVE SAFFRAN/MSG PHOTOS