WISH GRANTED: Derick Grant, right, is all smiles last Wednesday evening at the Community Park courts as Princeton Recreation Department Executive Director Evan Moorhead presented him with a plaque signifying his induction into the Rec Department Men’s Summer Basketball League Hall of Fame. Former Montgomery High and The College of New Jersey standout Grant starred in the league from 2001-08, setting a number of scoring records along the way. (Photo by Bill Alden)
By Bill Alden
Derick Grant picked up where he left off 17 years ago when he took the Community Park courts last Wednesday evening to play for Princeton Supply in the Princeton Recreation Department Men’s Summer Basketball League.
Former Montgomery High and The College of New Jersey standout Grant, who starred for Northwestern Financial as it advanced to the summer league’s 2008 best-of-three championship series, poured in 32 points as Princeton Supply defeated Tropical Smoothie Cafe 70-65.
Grant, who currently lives in Indianapolis, Ind., was making a cameo appearance back in Princeton to be inducted into the league’s Hall of Fame.
For Grant, being so honored was a full circle moment.
“I am telling you this is better than any Christmas, any birthday present — coming back and being able to experience this one more time,” said Grant, 42, who went on to play for the Harlem Globetrotters and now runs DG Mindset, an organization he founded that is dedicated to transforming lives by breaking mental barriers and promoting inner healing. “When I started playing in those leagues in 2001 this (the Hall of Fame) was never a goal or anything. I looked forward to this every year. Now I will probably make it a tradition to come in every year for at least one game.”
In getting ready for his one-game stint for Princeton Supply, Grant utilized the work ethic that made him a summer league legend.
“I knew this was coming; I made this decision to play here about six weeks ago so I started prepping for it,” said Grant, who tallied 24 points in the first half Wednesday, draining six 3-pointers in the process. “I am playing in a league back home. It is a 40-and-over league so I am one of the young guys out there. It is great being out here and playing with a bunch of younger guys. This is something I hold near and dear to my heart. To be back and experience one more time, it is everything.”
The experience Grant gained on the Community Park courts helped him develop into a college standout for TCNJ.
“This is really where I grew up as a basketball player,” said Grant, who finished second all-time in scoring for the Lions with 1,543 career points to go along with 126 steals and 181 assists and was the 2005 Eastern College Athletic Conference Metro Division III Men’s Basketball Player of the Year. “I started playing here going into my freshman year of playing at TCNJ so I was 18 years old. From 2001 to 2008, I played every summer. I was the young one coming off the bench so I got to work my way up. It is a community staple and it means everything to be able to be a part of it again.”
As Princeton Recreation Department Executive Director and League Commissioner Evan Moorhead introduced Grant for his induction, he detailed some of Grant’s accomplishments that led him to be selected for the Hall of Fame.
“When Derick was out here on these courts, he set the record for most points in a single game, 54; most 3-pointers in a single season, 35; and highest scoring average in a single season, 29,” said Moorhead. “He was a three-time regular season MVP, a one-time playoff MVP, three-time scoring champ, and led the league in threes multiple times. He was a first-team all-league four times. With that resume, there is a ton of great memories and moments from his career.”
Moorhead was happy to make another memory for Grant last Wednesday, “This is one of the great players and great competitors,” said Moorhead, noting that Grant’s duel with former Hun School and Princeton University star Noah Savage in the third game of the 2008 league championship series that saw the players trade a flurry of 3-pointers stands as one of the great sequences in league history. “When you take somebody with the work ethic, the drive, and the talent that this guy has, you do great things on the court. We have been trying to have this moment for about 10 years and this is the year we have finally been able to get Derick here. So now he is going in the Hall of Fame, it is long overdue.”
In order to finally make his induction, Grant had to carve out some time from his hectic life which includes working with his son, a rising AAU hoops star.
“Evan told me about it a couple of years ago but with my work schedule and AAU, I couldn’t get back,” said Grant. “I told my wife, we have to find a tournament on the east coast for my son’s AAU so that way I have a reason to get out there. This is what brought me out here this year.”
Being out there at the Community Park over eight years helped prepare Grant for his stint with the world-famous Globetrotters.
“It was great, I got to travel to 70 different countries, I was on Good Morning America, the Today Show,” said Grant, reflecting on his 7 1/2 years with the Globetrotters between 2006-2014. “It really allowed me to see the whole world. My formative years of really becoming competitive and learning how to assert my will in a game happened here in Princeton. Being able to take that to the Globetrotters was an experience that was because of this.”
Serving as an Ambassador of Goodwill and performing public relations duties for the Globetrotters has proven valuable in the work he now does for DG Mindset as a mindset performance coach/life strategist and motivational speaker.
“My whole premise is you are going to be whatever you think you are,” said Grant, who has worked with such organizations as the Buffalo Bills, Notre Dame women’s basketball, the Young Presidents Organization, and the University of Virginia. “The key is becoming aware of how you view yourself. Do you view yourself down here or do you view yourself up here (gesturing with this hands)? I work with NBA players and NFL players behind the scenes with their mindset to get them to believe that even though you may be coming off the bench, see yourself as an all-star so you can become a starter.”
Or in Grant’s case, become a Hall of Famer.