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on the court," Atkins said. "I can't lie; I really do look for him. Somebody that you're around 24/7, you trust them with everything. We just find each other well on the court, and our games play off each other really well. We both can get inside, kick it out to each other and finish around the hoop. I wouldn't want another back- court mate." The two grew up just 20 miles apart — Atkins is from Columbia, Md., and Grant is from Bowie, Md. They squared off on the AAU circuit just once, a battle Atkins fondly recalls. "We actually beat them in the cham- pionship in North Carolina," he said. "I hit the game-winning shot. We still talk about that to this day." It made sense for them to make the drive to South Bend together in the summer of 2010, and the road trip immediately tested their relationship. "[Atkins] does like to talk a lot," Atkins averaged 12.1 points (third on the team) and 4.1 assists (second) in a team-high 37.9 minutes per game this year. PROFICIENT PAIR O comprise an exciting young backcourt "He scores, I score and we both try Eric Atkins and Jerian Grant BY WES MORGAN Sophomores ball, especially inside the cramped confines of the dorm room they share, they cut each other very little slack. "It's just a comfortableness with n the court, point guard Eric Atkins and shooting guard Je- rian Grant make each other's life easier. Away from basket- him on the court," Grant, who fin- ished his rookie campaign as a starter after redshirting in 2010-11, said of Atkins. "I know he's going to find me and I'm going to find him. We're very unselfish. 50 APRIL 2012 to get assists. When I'm out there with him it's just very comfortable. "He's such a good player, some- PHOTO BY MARCUS SNOWDEN Grant said. "You just have to deal with it. It was a long ride — about 10 hours. Taking that ride, I knew we were going to be good friends and that I was going to be around him most of the time. It was just easy." Atkins fired back. "I like how he always airs things out [about me]," Atkins said. "He's always arguing on the phone with his girlfriend. It's all the time — every time I see him. I learned that he's the dirtiest person you could ever live with. He's always up on the phone talking late at night. He's actually very annoying to live with. Other than that, he's a great guy to be around. I enjoy it." Jokes aside, the two form a back- court that, if able to avoid injuries, might go down as one of the best all- around in Irish history. Grant didn't take long to find confidence as a first- year starter. The 6-5 athlete initially had to be encouraged by head coach Mike Brey to be more selfish. "I still have to be a little more ag- times you want to just stand around and watch him go off a pick or break his man down. But we can't just leave him out there by himself to just do it alone." Sharing the backcourt with Grant was more of a relief for Atkins, who took over for Ben Hansbrough at the point and averaged 37.9 minutes per game without another designated point guard on the roster to spell him. "I think we have a great chemistry gressive," Grant admitted near the end of the season. "[Coaches] keep telling me to shoot more; they're checking stats on how many shots I passed up when I was open. I still have to play my game and not try to do too much. Early in the season, they were telling me [the shots I passed up were in] double digits." Grant, who was voted onto the Big East All-Rookie Team, warmed up to the idea, yet still finished with a team- high 5.0 assists per game. He scored BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED