Irish Sports Daily

When DeMatha Catholic point guard James Robinson committed to Pittsburgh last month it certainly seemed like Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey wouldn’t be able to sign a player from his alma mater for the 2012 class, but that door was reopened earlier this week when Jerami Grant released his final three schools

The 6-foot-7, 190-pound small forward from Hyattsville, Md., is down to Syracuse, Rutgers and Notre Dame. The inclusion of the Irish came as a surprise to many since Grant, whose brother Jerian redshirted as a freshman at Notre Dame this past season, hadn’t mentioned them much recently. What isn’t a surprise is that it seems one of the chief reasons Notre Dame is back in the picture is Jerian’s presence.

“What I understand happened is that, through his brother trying to guide him through the whole process, they started to talk more and more about the possibility of them playing together,” DeMatha head coach Mike Jones said. “He’s got three great options with Notre Dame being one of them and obviously there are benefits everywhere, but only one place can offer him the chance to play with his brother.”

Notre Dame is a serious contender for the four-star, ESPNU Top 100 prospect. Grant will host all three of his finalists this weekend, starting with an in-home visit by Syracuse this weekend. Notre Dame will have its chance to impress Grant on Saturday, followed by Rutgers on Sunday.

Jones wouldn’t be surprised if the recruitment wrapped up quickly, but also knows that Grant doesn’t want to force himself into a decision.

“Honestly, I thought he’d be done last weekend,” the coach said. “I think he’s playing it by ear more so than setting deadlines on himself. He had done that a couple of times and he just wasn’t ready to commit. When it feels right, he’ll make that choice.”

In addition to Jerian, Grant’s oldest brother, Jerai, just completed his career at Clemson and is now playing in Australia. His father is Harvey Grant, who had an 11-year NBA career, and his uncle is Horace Grant, who had a lengthy NBA career with the Chicago Bulls and other teams.

“I’d like to think it helps a lot,” Jones said of Grant’s family background. “He’s obviously had two brothers that went through it recently and his dad went through it years ago. Every situation is different, every kid is different. I think that’s the one thing he’s starting to understand.

“Even though they all have been through it, this is going to come down to his decision and he’s the one who has to make the plunge so to speak. No matter how much experience and guidance they bring, it’s still going to come down to what he wants to do.”

Grant is ranked as the top player in state of Maryland and the eighth-best small forward in the Class of 2012, according to ESPN.

“He’s a tremendous basketball player who has the potential to play this game well beyond college,” Jones said. “He’s very versatile, he’s a winner. He’s won at every level, AAU, high school, Boys Club. He’s a winner and his best basketball is ahead of him too, so whatever coach gets him will have the chance to take a good kid who is still developing, who is not a finished product, and have the chance to turn him into a pro.”

Brey is hoping he’s the one who gets that chance.