LAKELAND, Fla. – Trenton State men's basketball legend Greg Grant will officially join basketball royalty Friday night, when he is set to be inducted to the Class of 2023 of the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame at the historic Polk Theatre in Lakeland.
WATCH THE INDUCTION CEREMONY HERE AT 7:30 PM
Grant's three seasons for the Lions are marked by historic and unprecedented numbers. He poured in an astounding 2,611 points in his TSC career, almost a full 1,000 points more than the college's second-leading all-time scorer (Scott Findlay with 1,668). Grant set Division III records for total points (1,044) and points per game (30.6) during the 1988-89 campaign.
In his rookie season in 1987, Grant scored a school-record 51 points against Montclair State. He surpassed that mark the following year, dropping 52 points against Wilmington College. Grant also holds program records for career steals (310) and is fourth all-time in assists with 273.
Grant's list of individual accolades is expansive. He was the 1989 Division III College Player of the Year, a First Team All-American selection in 1988 and 1989, and was named New Jersey College Player of the Year three consecutive seasons (1987, 1988, 1989).
The Lions compiled a record of 73-15 during his three years at TSC and went 30-2 in his final season in 1989. That year, the Lions captured their first New Jersey Athletic Conference championship and made a historic run through the Division III NCAA Championship. TSC advanced to the Final Four that season, defeating Southern Maine 84-62 in the semifinals before falling, 94-86, to the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in the championship game. Despite the runner-up finish, Grant was named Most Valuable Player of the Final Four.
Grant's collegiate exploits were impossible to ignore, and NBA scouts took notice. Following the 1989 season, he was drafted by the Phoenix Suns in the second round and played seven seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Grant also played with the New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, and Denver Nuggets before moving on to play two seasons for Fort Lee in the Italian professional basketball league.
Grant has kept close ties to his Trenton roots, founding the non-profit company "GGrant 94ft. Academic Sports Academy Inc." and "Greg Grant 3 point mentoring program" which provides academic and athletic support to children in inner cities and provides three yearly scholarships to student-athletes. He received the "Community Service Man of the Year Award" and "African American Achievement Award" from Mercer County Office of the Prosecutor in 2007. Grant also authored a book titled, 94 Feet and Rising, The Journey of Greg Grant to the NBA and Beyond.
Small College Basketball services a niche within college basketball, uniting the NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, NAIA, USCAA and NCCAA levels. Through the creation of the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame, events, awards, the website and various forms of publicity, it pays tribute, honors and promotes college basketball players, coaches, contributors and alumni within the NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, NAIA, USCAA and NCCAA levels.
The full Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2023 includes:
Frankie Allen, Roanoke
Gerald Cunningham, Kentucky State
Bayard Forrest, Grand Canyon
Greg Grant, Trenton State (now The College of New Jersey)
John Grochowalski, Assumption
Charles Hardnett, Grambling
Joe Hutton, Hamline
Henry Lee Logan, Western Carolina
Jackie Moreland, Louisiana Tech
R.C. Owens, College of Idaho
Glenn Roberts, Emory & Henry
Ed Steitz, NCAA
