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Post by sader81 on Dec 28, 2018 9:42:54 GMT -5
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Grandy
Dec 28, 2018 9:52:09 GMT -5
Post by hchoops on Dec 28, 2018 9:52:09 GMT -5
Paywall Please copy Thanks
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Grandy
Dec 28, 2018 9:57:26 GMT -5
Post by rgs318 on Dec 28, 2018 9:57:26 GMT -5
Nice article.
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Grandy
Dec 28, 2018 10:29:36 GMT -5
Post by CHC8485 on Dec 28, 2018 10:29:36 GMT -5
Hoops - right click the link. Select open in incognito window. If on a phone or tablet hold the link for about 3 seconds, release, the select open in ingonito window.
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Post by dadominate on Dec 28, 2018 10:39:49 GMT -5
great article on the most versatile player at hc after just two years since ? i'm thinking szatko is probably the last player who scored, rebounded, and passed as well as grandison this early in his career.
grandison's game-to-game consistency is one of the biggest reasons that we are off to the strong start to the season. he scores, rebounds, and dishes out assists pretty remarkably no matter what the level of competition we've faced.
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Grandy
Dec 28, 2018 10:57:58 GMT -5
Post by Tom on Dec 28, 2018 10:57:58 GMT -5
WORCESTER — The morning after Holy Cross’ come-from-behind win over Siena last Saturday, sophomore forward Jacob Grandison made the long trip home to Oakland, California, for a brief, but very enjoyable, Christmas break with his family, and took the return cross-country trek Wednesday, eager to rejoin his teammates and resume a so-far successful season.
“I like being out here,” Grandison said before Thursday morning’s practice at the Hart Center, “especially with no classes, we’re able to focus and hone in on what we’re trying to accomplish.”
At 8-4, the Crusaders have their best record through 12 games since the 2007-08 season, and Grandison has played a major role in the strong start.
He is averaging a team-best 15 points per game, ranks second with 5.1 rebounds per game, and third with 3.5 assists per game.
The 6-foot-6, 196-pound Grandison has scored in double figures in 10 games and he poured in a career-high 24 points in HC’s first win over Siena this year at the Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament in November.
“The last 8-10 games he has really started to play better and get a feel of it,” Holy Cross coach Bill Carmody said. “His freshman year he started rebounding and doing a little bit of everything, and that’s continued this year. He’s scoring, he’s shooting the ball well, he’s passing the ball well, he’s getting his nose in there for some rebounds. I think he’s come along the way I thought he might.”
As a 6-foot, 120-pounder, Grandison hardly played his freshman year at Berkeley High School in his home state.
“I never really put in a lot of work up until then,” Grandison said, “but I didn’t like not playing.”
Grandison started working out with Chris Garlington, Berkeley’s strength and conditioning coach, and rapidly improved his fitness, stamina, strength and basketball skills.
“It changed my game completely,” Grandison said. “I could already shoot, but he helped me refine my jump shot. I didn’t really have a move. He helped me a lot. He gave me my game. Sophomore year I was a completely different player.”
Grandison was elevated to the varsity team his junior year, but didn’t see much action. He did not play his senior season.
“It was kind of a lost year,” said Grandison, who played AAU ball for Team Lillard of Oakland and still had aspirations of playing Division 1 basketball in college.
Grandison’s dad, James, got to know longtime MIT coach Larry Anderson through some of the camps Grandison attended, and Anderson helped put the family in touch with coach Jay Tilton at Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire.
Grandison did a postgrad year (2016-17) at Phillips Exeter and helped lead the Exonians to the NEPSAC Class A championship. He scored 20 points in the final against Suffield and was named MVP of the tournament. He also earned All-New England honors.
Carmody planned to watch Grandison in a tournament in Las Vegas the previous summer and again in the fall at Exeter, but Grandison was hurt and didn’t play, Carmody said.
Holy Cross signed one of Grandison’s Exeter teammates, Kyle Copeland, that November. Carmody made several more trips to New Hampshire during the season to see Copeland play, and finally got a chance to watch Grandison.
“Each time Jacob was getting like 16 points and nine rebounds, or 18 points and 10 rebounds,” Carmody said. ”(I thought), ‘This guy’s pretty good.’ He just produced.”
The terrific season ended, but Grandison still had not received any D1 offers.
“I always believed in myself and trusted that I was going to get offers,” Grandison said, “so I didn’t apply to as many schools as I could have or should have. I kept believing, ‘It’s going to happen. It’s going to happen.’ The season ended and I was like, ‘Dang.’ I didn’t know what I was going to do.”
Three days after Phillips Exeter captured the title, Grandison received calls from Holy Cross assistant coach Joe Kennedy and Carmody.
“A couple other schools called after that because they heard Holy Cross offered me,” Grandison said, “but it stuck that Holy Cross was the first school that believed in me. I knew Kyle was coming here, and it meant a lot that they were the first school to give me an opportunity, to give me a chance. I have a ‘I want to do well for them’ mentality. I appreciate everything they’ve done.”
Phillips Exeter runs the Princeton offense like Holy Cross does, so that helped Grandison in his transition to the next level. As a freshman at HC, he played in every game and averaged 9 points and 4.6 rebounds.
“We felt like he could do a little bit of everything,” Carmody said. “I like guys who are versatile and he fit that mold.”
Grandison is one of four sophomores, along with Caleb Green, Austin Butler and Matt Faw, in HC’s starting lineup. Butler (12 ppg) and Green (11.2 ppg) are also averaging in double figures, while Faw is averaging 7.1 points and 3.4 rebounds. Starting senior center Jehyve Floyd averages 8.6 points and 5.8 rebounds and ranks among the nation’s leaders in blocked shots (33).
Grandison has led HC in scoring seven games.
“He’s California, he’s laid back,” Carmody said, “but when he steps on the court he competes and he wants to get better.”
Grandison’s brother Lucas is a junior at Phillips Exeter, so their proud parents, James and Carina, make frequent visits to the East Coast.
“They have two excuses now,” Grandison said. “They come up twice as often.”
In each of their last two games, the Crusaders rallied from 10 points down in the second half to win. Holy Cross has won four of five heading into Sunday’s game at Iona, which is HC’s last non-conference game of the season.
“I’m happy,” Carmody said, “and we can get so much better. We’re having stretches where we’re doing things that seem out of character. I have to remember they are younger guys. Even though they’ve played a lot of minutes, they haven’t been exposed to everything. We just have to keep working on some of the finer points so we don’t have some of these droughts.”
HC begins Patriot League play January 3 at Loyola.
Grandison has not reached his full potential yet and the team hasn’t either he said, but this 2018-19 team is tight-knit and it is evident the Crusaders enjoy playing with each other.
“It’s been fun,” Grandison said. “I think that’s a big part of successful, winning teams. Everyone likes practicing, everyone likes playing. During the games everyone is enthusiastic, everyone on the bench is enthusiastic, the coaches are enthusiastic. That’s a dangerous combination for other teams when you have everyone doing what they love to do.”
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Grandy
Dec 28, 2018 11:11:11 GMT -5
Post by Tom on Dec 28, 2018 11:11:11 GMT -5
It's nice to see these random pieces in the Telegram. A handful of these a year in the local press is better than being ignored WORCESTER — The morning after Holy Cross’ come-from-behind win over Siena last Saturday, sophomore forward Jacob Grandison made the long trip home to Oakland, California, for a brief, but very enjoyable, Christmas break with his family, and took the return cross-country trek Wednesday, eager to rejoin his teammates and resume a so-far successful season. “I like being out here,” Grandison said before Thursday morning’s practice at the Hart Center I believe the guys were released after the game on Saturday. It sounds like they needed to be back Wed evening for Thursday practice. Just getting a sense of what kind of break the guys got I'm not sure who Mrs Grandison is, but Mr Grandison is a trooper. He is at as many games as anyone and he lives on the west coast
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Grandy
Dec 28, 2018 11:20:05 GMT -5
Post by KY Crusader 75 on Dec 28, 2018 11:20:05 GMT -5
Aren't one or both of the Grandisons college professors?
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Post by hchoops on Dec 28, 2018 11:23:08 GMT -5
Thanks for the article, Tom.
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Grandy
Dec 28, 2018 11:28:00 GMT -5
Post by hchoops on Dec 28, 2018 11:28:00 GMT -5
great article on the most versatile player at hc after just two years since ? i'm thinking szatko is probably the last player who scored, rebounded, and passed as well as grandison this early in his career. grandison's game-to-game consistency is one of the biggest reasons that we are off to the strong start to the season. he scores, rebounds, and dishes out assists pretty remarkably no matter what the level of competition we've faced. Totally agree. Tim S Certainly combined the points and rebounds for 4 years, but I do not recall him being high in assists. Jave had by far the highest number of assists during 3 of tim’s Seasons. Would we have to go back to Feaster to find such versatility ? Potter was the ultimate in versatility, and throw in clutch while at it.
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Grandy
Dec 28, 2018 11:34:55 GMT -5
Post by hchoops on Dec 28, 2018 11:34:55 GMT -5
Just checked Malachi and Karl Charles led us in assists in ‘16 and ‘17
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Grandy
Dec 28, 2018 11:37:23 GMT -5
Post by KY Crusader 75 on Dec 28, 2018 11:37:23 GMT -5
Chris Potter 115 games & 470 Assists= 4.1 per game Jacob Grandison= 43 & 103= 2.4 per game but note this YTD 12 & 42= 3.5 per game Rob Feaster= 114 & 192= 1.7 per game Tim Szatko= 122 & 164= 1.3 per game
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Post by hchoops on Dec 28, 2018 11:42:29 GMT -5
Chris Potter 115 games & 470 Assists= 4.1 per game Jacob Grandison= 43 & 103= 2.4 per game but note this YTD 12 & 42= 3.5 per game Rob Feaster= 114 & 192= 1.7 per game Tim Szatko= 122 & 164= 1.3 per game Chris’ 470 assists are 4th all time, the only non guard in the top 10. He is also 3rd in total rebounds and tied for 5th (with Heinsohn) in points. Add the game winning shots, and he is the most versatile HC player ever. His jersey should be in the rafters.
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Grandy
Dec 28, 2018 11:50:44 GMT -5
Post by trimster on Dec 28, 2018 11:50:44 GMT -5
Amen to that. Don't forget his uncanny ability to steal inbounds passes as the point man on the press. A true great.
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Grandy
Dec 28, 2018 11:55:10 GMT -5
Post by hchoops on Dec 28, 2018 11:55:10 GMT -5
Correct Too bad steal stats were not kept then It was just another proof of Chris’ versatility. And he showed much of this in high school. Turned down UNC.
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Grandy
Dec 28, 2018 11:57:30 GMT -5
Post by rgs318 on Dec 28, 2018 11:57:30 GMT -5
That also shows he had a strong sense of what constitutes a valuable education.
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Post by Non Alum Dave on Dec 28, 2018 12:25:18 GMT -5
Amen to that. Don't forget his uncanny ability to steal inbounds passes as the point man on the press. A true great. When Pitino had his year at Providence, I remembered him often getting credit on broadcasts for practically revolutionizing the game with his full court press. And every time I heard that I'd yell at the tv "Ah, Hello? I don't think so!!"
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Grandy
Dec 28, 2018 12:28:14 GMT -5
Post by rgs318 on Dec 28, 2018 12:28:14 GMT -5
Dave, you were too kind.
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Post by hchoops on Dec 28, 2018 12:29:38 GMT -5
Jack Ramsey at St. Joe’s and Wooden at UCLA are usually credited with developing the modern full court presses. Pitino probably fed that lie to the announcers who totally bought it.
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Grandy
Dec 28, 2018 12:39:35 GMT -5
Post by Non Alum Dave on Dec 28, 2018 12:39:35 GMT -5
A kid named David Kipfer (sp?) played the Potter role in the Friar press. He was a pretty good player as I recall, but not Chris Potter good.
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Grandy
Dec 28, 2018 13:23:13 GMT -5
Post by sader1970 on Dec 28, 2018 13:23:13 GMT -5
Found this to be the most interesting part of the article. Sometimes, luck goes your way.
You have to love his value system as well as his play on the court. BTW, Kyle is as nice a young man as you will ever find and sounds like Grandy is too.
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Grandy
Dec 28, 2018 13:23:45 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by Ignutz on Dec 28, 2018 13:23:45 GMT -5
Amen to that. Don't forget his uncanny ability to steal inbounds passes as the point man on the press. A true great. When Pitino had his year at Providence, I remembered him often getting credit on broadcasts for practically revolutionizing the game with his full court press. And every time I heard that I'd yell at the tv "Ah, Hello? I don't think so!!" The HC press during the Potter/Vicens years was the brainchild of George Blaney and Asst. Coach Jim Dougher.
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Grandy
Dec 28, 2018 13:26:29 GMT -5
Post by sader1970 on Dec 28, 2018 13:26:29 GMT -5
8485, sometimes you are just scary!
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Grandy
Dec 28, 2018 13:29:34 GMT -5
Post by timholycross on Dec 28, 2018 13:29:34 GMT -5
In terms of it's use, the press was probably implemented all the time in 74-75, then after midseason in 75-76, about half or less of the time. Like a lot of things, teams catch up with it after a while. Also, I think that a couple of guys that were around that first year (Joe Carballeira, Doug Downey) fit the style very well and others that came later, even if they were better basketball players,,didn't.
I do remember a BC game at the end of 77-78 where Potter, nursing an ankle injury, came off the bench for the last 3-4 minutes of the game and the press worked like it used to (and HC came back to win, of course!).
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Grandy
Dec 28, 2018 13:36:07 GMT -5
Post by hchoops on Dec 28, 2018 13:36:07 GMT -5
Carballeira was a terrific defender, ball hawk and a fierce competitor. That senior year, Joe scored 10 ppg. And had 4.2 assists second to Kevin McCauley.. Perhaps the most fiercely competitive HC duo ever—Vicens and Carballeira.
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