Grant excited about potential
The Ursuline High graduate expects big things from the team's new coach.
By JOE SCALZO
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
Penn State freshman Tyra Grant grew close to her coach, Rene Portland, during a stellar rookie season that saw her lead the Nittany Lions in scoring.
So, when Portland resigned last month, it came as a shock.
"It was a very emotional time for me," said Grant, an Ursuline High graduate. "I was rather close to Rene.
"But things happen for a reason, and you've just got to grow and learn from these experiences."
That said, Grant, a former Ms. Basketball in Ohio, is pretty excited about the program's potential under new coach Coquese Washington, who was hired on Monday after serving as an assistant coach at Notre Dame the past eight seasons.
"I like her very much," Grant said. "She's very enthusiastic and she wants to help grow and build on what Rene built."
Bright future
Grant stands to be a big part of that growth. The 5-10 guard averaged a team-high 14.6 points per game last season for the Nittany Lions, who went 15-16 and 7-9 in the Big Ten.
Grant played in all 31 games (starting 16) and shot 37 percent from the field and 32.5 percent from 3-point range. She also averaged 2.5 rebounds per game.
Although she was one of Ohio's top recruits as a senior, Grant admitted she was a little nervous when she first got to Penn State.
"Most definitely," she said. "Coming out of high school, you can't be prepared for college. I remember my first game, I was really nervous and I played about 15 minutes. I was able to adjust, thankfully, and adjust well.
"The team just accepted me so much. It was the greatest experience I could have hoped for or asked for."
Although Washington has never been a head coach, she comes to Penn State with an impressive resume as a player and an assistant.
Washington played at Notre Dame from 1989-93, helping the Irish to their first NCAA tournament appearance in 1992.
She became a Notre Dame assistant under Muffet McGraw in 1999 and helped the Irish win the 2001 NCAA title.
Washington also played in the WNBA (she was a member of the Houston Comets' 2000 title team), earned a law degree and is married with a 2-year-old son.
"To do all that and earn a law degree at Notre Dame is a great accomplishment," Grant said. "It's wonderful to have a chance to play under a person with that much experience."
Coachable player
Grant has a reputation as a very coachable player, which should make Washington's job easier.
Grant raves about her high school coach, Sean Durkin, who guided the Irish to the Div. III state title when Grant was a sophomore starter.
Durkin and Grant also advanced to the state championship game last season, falling to Plain City Jonathan Alder.
"He's a great coach and a good person," Grant said.
Like most college freshmen, Grant got a little homesick last fall, but with just a few weeks left in the spring semester, she's got mixed feelings about coming back to Youngstown.
"I'm not going to lie -- I like it a lot more when I'm away," Grant said, laughing. "My parents told me that would happen and at first, I didn't think it would. I hadn't adapted yet and I thought I needed to go home every weekend.
"Now I'm acclimated to Penn State and to the team and college life and I love being here. I hate to say it, but Youngstown is not the most exciting place."
And with one year of experience, Grant should be a better and more confident player next season.
"You don't have time for self-doubt," she said. "You've just got to keep rolling and get better from game to game.
"We didn't have the season everyone planned, but we're going to learn from this and get better. After two losing seasons, it can only get better from here and Coach Coquese can help us in that."
scalzo@vindy.com