Grant Commits to Notre Dame

The luck of the Irish apparently applies to recruiting, too.

Notre Dame picked up its third commitment for the class of 2010 on Wednesday when Jerian Grant chose the Fighting Irish over DePaul and Providence.

“I just thought about the pros and cons of those schools vs. Notre Dame and Notre Dame had almost all of the pros,” Grant said. “I just had a gut feeling and was sure that’s where I wanted to go.”

The son of former NBA veteran Harvey Grant, Jerian Grant is a 6-4 guard who attends famed Dematha Catholic (Md.) and plays with Team Takeover (D.C.) for AAU ball.

Grant took a visit to the Notre Dame campus this past weekend and came away very impressed.

“I liked it a lot,” he said in a text message earlier this week. “Hanging out with the guys and getting to know the coaches better. And the campus and basketball facilities were nice.”

While there, Grant watched the Fighting Irish football team defeat Nevada, 35-0, took a tour of the campus and even played a little basketball with the current players.

Mike Brey, his staff and his players all made a lasting impression on Grant.

“They were real cool,” he said on Monday. “Only being there for three days, I feel like I already have somewhat of a relationship with some guys from the team and a better one with the coaching staff.”

Shortly after the visit, he said that although Notre Dame was his favorite, he would not make a decision until after he took his scheduled visits to DePaul and Providence on Sept. 19 and Sept. 26, respectively.

However, it only took a few days for him to realize where he wanted to play his college ball.

When asked Wednesday night what was the final factor in his decision, Grant said it was a mixture of the basketball program and his opportunity for playing time.

“Knowing that [I] will be able to come in and make an impact right away, and just the Notre Dame program as a whole,” he said.

Grant was very impressive this summer when NBE watched him at the NIKE Peach Jam in North Augusta, S.C. and the AAU Super Showcase in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

He is a very quick player who makes an impact at both ends of the court. Offensively, he seemingly glides past his defenders because of his first step and explosiveness around the basket. At the other end, he is aggressive and constantly creates turnovers with his activity on defense. Grant is excellent in transition and can finish around the rim.

Adding to its duo of point guard Eric Atkins and Alex Dragicevich, Notre Dame now has a perimeter group for the future. Grant is looking forward to playing for the Irish and thinks he can make an immediate impact because of his competitiveness.

[They’re getting] a player that will do whatever it takes for his team to win,” Grant said. “I can score I need to, defend the best player on the other team, get my teammates involved – and I love clutch moments.”