TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Michael Grant has been officially named Stillman’s head men’s basketball coach, athletics director Curtis Campbell announced this weekend. Grant, an Ohio native, is a nine-year veteran, coming to Stillman after stints at Central State (1996-2003) and Southern (2003-2005).
“Coach Grant will be a great addition to our staff because he brings credibility, experience and a history of winning to our program,” Campbell said. “Though he’s widely known for being able to turn programs around in the past, we don’t consider ours to be in rebuilding mode.
“When this search began last month, we simply wanted to find the best coach available to lead our program in the right direction. I think we have that in Coach Grant.”
Grant, who takes over for Tim Waller, is excited about the opportunity to return the Tigers to their championship ways and expressed optimism that he can get it done quickly.
“This is a tremendous opportunity for me,” Grant said. “I feel the timing is right and I feel like Stillman is a great fit. I’m energized, excited and looking forward to getting back into coaching after being out of it for a couple of years.
“I don’t think the program is very far away from being successful again,” Grant said. “My main objective right now is to utilize the players that we already have in place, bring in some additional players that I know can help the program, and attempt to win right away.”
Grant began his nine-year head coaching career at Central State (Ohio) University, compiling an overall record of 126-94. He won just eight games in his first season but soon had the Crusaders on the winning track. Central State never finished under .500 in his final six seasons, winning at least 20 games three times.
From there, Grant guided the Southern Jaguars in the Southwestern Athletic Conference for two seasons. He took a team that won just nine games in the season before his arrival and increased its win total in both seasons. The Jags went 12-16 in 2003-04 and 14-15 in 2004-05 with a schedule that included Southern California and California out of the Pac-10 Conference and Stillman, which fell 78-64 to the Jaguars. In both seasons at Baton Rouge, Grant posted winning conference records, going 9-9 in his first season and 10-8 in his final campaign. The last season before he arrived, SU was 5-12 in the SWAC.
Other stops for Grant include assistant coaching stints at Allegheny (Penn.) College, Kentucky State University, and the University of Michigan under Steve Fisher. Grant is the older brother of former NBA player Gary Grant, who played at Michigan during his time as an assistant.
A press conference to officially introduce Grant to the public and media is scheduled for Thursday, May 1, at 2 p.m. in Birthright Gymnasium.
Michael Grant’s Coaching Record
1996-97 Central State University 8-21
1997-98 Central State University 16-14
1998-99 Central State University 20-12
1999-00 Central State University 24-8
2000-01 Central State University 18-13
2001-02 Central State University 17-15
2002-03 Central State University 23-11
2003-04 Southern University 12-16
2004-05 Southern University 14-15
OVERALL 152-125
Posted By: Kenyana Madison
Monday, July 21st 2008 at 12:00PM
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