Michael Grant Brings Wealth Of Experience To Samford Coaching Staff

COACH MICHAEL GRANT
Courtesy: COPPIN STATE ATHLETICS

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- The Samford University athletic department officially announced Tuesday that former head coach at Coppin State University, Stillman College and Southern University, Michael Grant, has joined the Bulldogs' basketball program as the special assistant to the head coach.

Grant comes to Samford from Coppin State University where he spent the previous three seasons as head coach.

2017-18 Samford Basketball Schedule

In 2015-16, his Eagle squad advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2016 MEAC Basketball Tournament for the second straight season after upsetting North Carolina A&T in double overtime in the opening round. The Eagles finished second in the MEAC in 3-pointers made, including making a 3-point field goal in 190 consecutive games.

Throughout his career, Grant has helped schools win a number of conference championships and has qualified for the NCAA and NAIA national tournaments.

An 18-year veteran who has won 56 percent of his games, Grant was hired at Coppin State from Division II Stillman College, where he was the head coach for six years. Grant was also the head coach from 2003-05 at Southern University (La.) where he replaced the legendary Ben Jobe and from 1996-2003 at Central State University.

During his career, Grant's teams have posted winning records 12 times and won at least 20 games in a season four times. In addition to his duties as head basketball coach at Stillman, Grant also served the college as the assistant director of athletics. More importantly, he has graduated over 80 percent of his student-athletes during his career.

Grant began his coaching career at his alma mater, Malone College in Ohio, where he first studied under Hal Smith as a student assistant. Grant then served on Smith's staff in 1985 as a full-time assistant before heading to the University of Michigan as a graduate assistant where he helped coach and develop his younger brother Gary Grant, who eventually became the Big Ten Player of the Year in 1988. Gary Grant was the 14th overall player chosen in the 1988 NBA draft.

A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Grant also coached at Kentucky State University, Alleghany College, Cleveland State University, and the University of Toledo.

He is a member of the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) congress. Also during his career, Grant was the SIAC Basketball Chair, a member of the NCAA Division II Regional Advisory Committee and a NAIA National Championship Tournament Committee Member.

Grant and his wife, Charmane, have three children: Chris, Raynesha and Lauren.

The Samford University basketball team will begin play in its highly-anticipated 2017-18 campaign Nov. 10, as the Bulldogs travel to Fayetteville, Arkansas, for a marquee season-opening matchup against the Arkansas Razorback to be held at historic Bud Walton Arena.

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