Dayton Basketball: Anthony Grant’s character is unequivocally admirable

The inspiring journey of Dayton basketball head coach Anthony Grant is just the kind of feel-good story that we could all use right about now.

Dayton basketball may have upset my alma mater, Syracuse, in the 2014 NCAA Tournament, a loss that still stings, but that won’t prevent me from rooting for the Flyers’ current head coach, Anthony Grant.

Grant, who notched the 2020 Naismith National Coach of the Year honor on Thursday, adding to his burgeoning trophy collection, possesses a personal narrative filled with uplifting and heart-wrenching moments alike.

Sure, Grant guided Dayton to a school-record 29 wins – against only a pair of neutral-court, overtime losses – before the 2019-20 campaign came to an abrupt halt due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The Flyers, led by All-American Obi Toppin, earned a final No. 3 ranking in both major polls and put themselves in prime position to secure a No. 1 seed in the Big Dance, had it occurred. Dayton absolutely could have cut down the nets at the conclusion of March Madness.

This type of special stanza for the Flyers obviously illustrates the excellence that Grant exudes on the court. But what is equally as impressive to me are other attributes of his character – namely, Grant’s humility, leadership, loyalty and perseverance.

In his prior coaching gigs, Grant enjoyed a successful stint at VCU, but things didn’t go quite so well at Alabama. His Crimson Tide crews only made the NCAA tourney once in six attempts during Grant’s tenure there, and Alabama fired him.

Picking yourself up after getting canned isn’t so easy. It requires courage, dedication, passion and strength. Grant, in what he accomplished over the last few months at Dayton, exemplifies those traits.

Following his exit from the Crimson Tide, Grant spent about two years as an assistant coach with the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder before he landed with the Flyers.

The Thunder’s boss, Billy Donovan, is Grant’s mentor. Grant previously worked as a Gators assistant for roughly a decade, when Donovan served as Florida’s head coach. Ultimately, Donovan brought two national titles to Gainesville.

CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander published an article in which Donovan shared that, back in the mid-2000s, star Gators’ big men Joakim Noah and Al Horford “briefly debated declaring for the NBA Draft, and not returning for the 2006-07 season, after Grant was offered the VCU job and told the team he was going to take it.”

Noah and Horford felt a devotion to Grant, Norlander wrote. On the flip side, Grant’s loyalty to them resulted in him thinking it might prove best to rescind the Rams’ offer, according to Donovan. However, Donovan wouldn’t let Grant forgo the VCU opportunity.

Pretty cool stuff from all of these guys. For Grant, he became a rising talent in collegiate hoops with the Rams, only to hit a bump in the road at his next stop, Alabama. Remaining steadfast, Grant eventually arrived at Dayton when Archie Miller took the helm at Indiana.

That was three terms ago. Fast-forward to today, and the once-fired Grant is accumulating national awards in droves. In an age of corruption, greed and recruiting scandals that have at least slightly stained the sport, he is a refreshing bright spot.

Oh, and let’s close with this little nugget. Grant is the first Naismith Coach of the Year to receive this recognition while coaching his alma mater since 2010.

Who won in that campaign? You guessed it, Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim. It goes without saying that I love Boeheim, and I eternally bleed Orange.

But I’m also now in Grant’s cheering section – except if the Flyers face Syracuse in the future.