|
The University of Miami filled its final men's basketball scholarship for next season Monday morning by accepting the transfer of former Villanova freshman combo guard Malcolm Grant.
Coach Frank Haith, who could not be reached for comment because he was in a meeting, confirmed the news via text message. Grant, a six-footer from Brooklyn, will sit out the 2008-09 season per NCAA transfer rules.
But when Grant becomes available the following season, Miami will have itself a three-point shooter and explosive scorer. Grant, who was recruited by Haith coming out of Paul Roberson High in New York, had several high-scoring efforts early this season for Villanova before falling out of the rotation late in the year.
He scored 18 points off the bench and helped the Wildcats rally from a 21-point deficit with eight minutes to play in a thrilling come-from-behind win over LSU on Dec. 6. He then scored 22 points to help the Wildcats knock off Big East champion Pittsburgh a month later.
Grant played in 29 games for Villanova, which reached the Sweet 16, and led the team in three-point accuracy (47 per cent), while averaging 5.6 points per game with only four starts. He reportedly chose UM over Vanderbilt, Michigan and Virginia Commonwealth after asking for a release from Villanova earlier this month.
The Hurricanes, who reached the second round of the NCAA tournament and completed a 23-11 season, will lose its starting backcourt of leading scorer Jack McClinton and point guard Lance Hurdle after next season.
McClinton (Siena) and Hurdle (junior college) also were transfers.
<!-- story_mapbox.comp --> <!-- /story_mapbox.comp -->
|
