Aug. 31, 2007
The Nova Notebook, by Villanova director of media relations Mike Sheridan, appears weekly beginning in September through February with monthly updates in the off-season. In this entry we spend time with Villanova freshman guard Malcolm Grant.
In at least one respect, Malcolm Grant is fully prepared for the role he assumes as one of Villanova's incoming freshmen in 2007-08. Since his earliest days in Brooklyn, N.Y., the 6-0 guard has been comfortable following the lead of elders.
As a child he looked up to his parents, William Duncan and Mary Grant. From the age of four he trailed along with his father and older brothers, Sayeed and LeVar Grant, as they headed to find a basketball court. And as he, along with classmates Corey Fisher and Corey Stokes, make the transition to college basketball, Grant is quite comfortable looking to his coaches and teammates for guidance.
"It's been beautiful," he says of his introduction to the Villanova basketball family. "The older guys are like big brothers to us. If I make a mistake in practice, Scottie (Reynolds) will tap me on the shoulder and tell me to keep my head up. Dante (Cunningham), Shane (Clark), and Dwayne (Anderson) will do it too. They are very positive and really make sure you don't get down on yourself if you make a mistake."
This weekend Grant and the rest of the Wildcats travel to Ottawa to play four exhibition games against Canadian university foes. On Saturday, the `Cats face host Carleton at 7:00 p.m. At noon on Sunday, they face Queens on the same floor at Carleton. On Sunday evening they travel to the University of Ottawa for a 7 p.m. meeting with that school before closing out the journey back at Carleton on Monday at noon when they meet the Carleton/Ottawa All-Stars.
The four days leading up to the trip have given Grant and his young mates a rare opportunity to acclimate themselves to the college game.
"It's been everything I thought it would be," he says. "You understand coming in that college is a different level and that everything moves much faster than it did in high school or at prep school. But then you see it on the practice floor and you really can feel it. I'm used to going up and down the floor and at this level there is so much more that goes into it.
"I feel like I'm getting used to it and I'm happy we get the chance to go to Canada to learn even more. We're a young team and this will only help us."
As a youth in Brooklyn - where he knew, among others, teammate Antonio Pena - Grant displayed an early knack for the game. Blessed with quickness, strength and a feel for passing, he began to attract notice from college coaches as an underclassman at Paul Robeson High School. He would go on to score more than 1,500 points at Robeson and was voted Public School Athletic League player of the year in 2006. Among those Grant says he is indebted to, is Robeson head coach and athletic director Todd Myles. "Coach Myles prepared me so well, both on and off the court," notes Grant. "He is the reason I am the player I am today. Every day, he worked his hardest to help me in so many ways and I will always thank him for that."
Given his offensive tools and his work in the PSAL, it wasn't long before his recruitment heated up. Seton Hall, St. John's, West Virginia, and Florida State were in the mix early on and at one point prior to his senior season he gave a verbal commitment to Seton Hall. However, he pulled back from that decision and elected to re-open his recruitment.
"I had gotten to see Coach Wright when he was still at Hofstra," he states. "When it didn't work out at Seton Hall, I decided to look at Villanova. I liked the way Coach Wright uses his guards and I also knew Antonio was here and that Corey (Fisher) was coming here. That was good enough for me."
Pena and Grant had played together in grade school, starting out on the Riverside Church team. Grant got to know Fisher during his high school days on the AAU circuit. Given those bonds and the comfort level he felt with Wright his staff along with Villanova's academic reputation, Grant was happy to inform the coaches that he would become a part of the class of 2011.
But not right away.
After graduating from Robeson in 2006, Grant headed to Winchendon Academy in Massachusetts for a year of academic and basketball seasoning. As is often the case, there was an adjustment period as a New York City product adapted to life away from the bright lights and subway platforms.
"Prep school was a very different environment," he says. "You are on your own, a long way from home, and it took me some time to adjust. It was tough. There were a lot of rules. But it is what it is and it definitely helped me. When I came here, I was used to being on a campus."
His assimilation to Villanova has been seamless. He spent most of the summer on campus, taking classes and playing in open gym with his new teammates. It was a bonding experience that has helped ease the transition. And lately he has been absorbing the crash course of Villanova Basketball 101 on the Pavilion court.
"College is good," he says with a smile. "A lot of people here know who we are and everyone is very friendly.
There is much to look forward to. Grant was unable to attend "Hoops Mania" while he was at Winchendon last fall but is very much looking forward to Oct. 26, when this year's version takes place. And he has another event on his mind as well.
"One of the things I have always dreamed of doing is playing in the BIG EAST Tournament," he says. "Watching it last year, all I could think about was how great it will be to be a part of that, playing in my home town against great teams."
Grant's aims are 2007-08 are direct and simple.
"I want to do whatever I can to help this team win," he says. "Rebound, defend, score, whatever we need."
His quest begins this weekend in Ottawa.
NOVA NOTES: Director of Development for Athletics Steve Pinone reports that there is still room for individuals and foursomes interested in playing in the 2007 Villanova Classic at Canoe Brook Country Club in Summit, N.J. on Monday, Sept. 17. This event includes lunch, 18 holes of golf, followed by cocktails and dinner. This year the Classic honors Paul Arizin, Howard Porter, and Rev. Bernard Lazor, O.S.A.
"This is always one of our staff's favorite events of the year," states head coach Jay Wright.
There are still places available for foursomes and individual players. All proceeds benefit the men's basketball program. For more information contact Pinone or V Club Director Whitey Rigsby at 877-434-1500.
