BALTIMORE – First-year Coppin State head men’s basketball coach Michael Grant has been named as a member of the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division I Congress representing the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC).
As a congressman, Grant will serve as a liaison between the coaches in the MEAC and the NABC. Among some of his roles, Grant will participate in monthly conference calls and attend the annual meeting during the convention. In addition, congress representative coaches serve to both relay information from the NABC Board of Directors to fellow conference coaches as well as help survey the membership and garner support for the organization.
“It’s an honor to serve on this committee,” Grant said. “It gives me a chance to express our concerns throughout the country. I look forward to representing our conference on this committee.”
The NABC Congress was formed in 1992 to allow the NABC to work more effectively with the NCAA and its committees. The NABC Congress consists of one NABC coach serving as a conference representative for each of the divisions of NCAA Basketball.
Grant became Coppin State’s sixth head men’s basketball coach since 1964 on May 7. He will coach his first game at the helm of the Eagles at the University of Oregon on Friday, November 14. The Eagles’ first home game will be on Monday, December 1 against Division II Goldey-Beacom College.
A 15-year veteran, who has won 56 percent of his games, Grant comes to Coppin State from Division II Stillman College, where he was the head coach for the last six years. Grant was also the head coach from 2003-05 at Southern University (La.) where he replaced the legendary Ben Jobe.
At the conclusion of the 2013-14 campaign, Grant amassed a six-year school record of 100-73. In 2012-13, the Tigers finished the season with an 18-10 overall mark and a 12-5 SIAC record. Center Torrean Walker ranked first in the SIAC and seventh in Division II in blocked shots per game while guard Jeffrey Wherry finished first in the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio. The Tigers led the SIAC in assists, blocked shots, scoring offense and three-pointers made per game.
During the 2010-11 season, he guided Stillman to a 24-8 overall mark, a 19-5 conference record, second place in the SIAC and to the regional final of the Division II South Regional. The Tigers finished the season eighth in the NCAA with three-pointers made (9.4 per game) and blocked shots (4.2 per outing).
Credited by former players as a “disciplinarian,” Grant’s coaching genius was first established at NAIA-turned-Division II member Central State (Ohio) University. In seven seasons, Grant led the Marauders to three 20-win campaigns and only one losing season—his first in 1996-97. During the 1999-00 season, Grant led Central State to the program’s first victory in the NAIA National Tournament since 1979. By the end of his seven-year tenure at the school, Grant had become only the fourth Central State coach to have won more than 100 games in his career with the school.
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.
Grant also coached at Kentucky State University, Alleghany College, Cleveland State University, and the University of Toledo.
Grant and his wife, Charmane, reside in Hanover, Md. They have three children: Chris (32), Raynesha (24) and Lauren (22).
ABOUT THE NABC: The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), located in Kansas City, Missouri was founded in 1927 by Forrest "Phog" Allen, the legendary University of Kansas basketball coach. Formation of the NABC began as an emergency measure for the presentation of a united opinion the Joint Basketball Rules Committee, then the central governing authority of the game, announced without notice that it had adopted a change in the rules which virtually eliminated the dribble.
Allen, a student of basketball founder James Naismith, organized coaches to take a stand in a nationwide protest which successfully postponed the adoption of the rule change for one year. It is worthy to note that the dribble still is part of the game of basketball. This marked the beginning of this collective group of coaches to serve as Guardians of the Game.
Since its inception, the NABC has contributed numerous ideas and programs to help preserve and enhance the positive aspects of college basketball. These initiatives include establishing the original Basketball Hall of Fame (Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame), creating the format for today's NCAA Basketball Tournament, supporting Coaches vs. Cancer, and building the College Basketball Experience, which houses the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, as part of the Sprint Center Arena located in downtown Kansas City, Missouri.
Great coach, really becomes your friend and knows how to motivate you. He loves his job, there is nothing better than working with someone that loves their job and wants to better his athletes and themselves every time. I would definetaly recommend Nate to every athlete that is serious about their sport and wants to succeed. Learned something from Nate: success will always come, you just have to keep working.
