For those of you who cannot wait to see how your favorite college basketball players do at the next level when the NBA season tips off in October, you can still see some great former college players this month at the 2025 FIBA AmeriCup. USA Basketball announced its roster last week, which includes many former college stars like Tyler Cavanaugh (2016 NIT MVP at GW), Jack Cooley (2013 1st-team All-Big East at Notre Dame), and Jahmi’us Ramsey (2020 Big 12 Freshman of the Year at Texas Tech). 1 of the players with the most NBA experience on Team USA is Jerian Grant: he spent 5 years with the Knicks/Bulls/Magic/Wizards, made the playoffs twice, and was top-15 in the league in 2018 with 7.3 assists/36 minutes. Jerian is preparing to head to Nicaragua as he tries to win a gold medal, but HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with him about choosing Notre Dame for college and the 10-year anniversary of his sensational senior season.
You went to DeMatha High School in Washington, DC: what made you choose Notre Dame? Notre Dame coach Mike Brey also went to DeMatha, and when I went on campus the connection was there right away.
As a senior you were named consensus 1st-team All-American: what did it mean to you to receive such outstanding honors? It meant everything and showed that all the hard work I put in had paid off.
Take me through the 2015 postseason:
You were named MVP of the ACC tourney: how on earth were you able to beat Duke/UNC on back-to-back nights in Greensboro? It is 1 of my best basketball memories. Being on the list of ACC tourney MVPs (along with legends like Bob McAdoo/James Worthy/Tim Duncan) is special, and to beat 2 great schools like that was amazing.
In the Elite 8 you scored 15 PTS but missed a 3-PT shot at the buzzer in a 2-PT loss to undefeated Kentucky: how close did you come to pulling off the upset in the final game of your college career? We were 1 shot away from a historic run. We felt very confident…but the Wildcats had some special players as well.
You finished your career in the top-5 in school history in APG/SPG: what is the key to being a great PG? Taking care of the ball. Coach Brey taught us all to be smart with the ball, which made me a great PG.
You were selected 19th overall by your hometown team in the 2015 NBA Draft…and were traded to the Hawks and then the Knicks later that evening: what did it mean to you to get drafted? It was a dream come true: it is what everyone wants to do when they grow up and was a special moment in my life.
In the 2017 Eastern Conference 1st round as a player for Chicago you won the 1st 2 games in Boston to become the 1st 8-seed to ever go up 2–0 against a 1-seed in a best–of–7 series: what the heck happened after that?! They were a #1 seed and would not go away. Rajon Rondo was our starting PG so losing him to injury was tough, but I got to play some good minutes and it was a great experience.
You won the Italian league/Italian Cup in 2022, were named EuroCup MVP in 2023, won EuroLeague/Greek League titles in 2024, and won the Greek Cup in 2025: what is the key to winning championships? Having great teammates and playing the right way. Whatever league I am playing in, I will do whatever it takes for my team to win.
Your father Harvey played in the NBA, your brother Jerai has played pro basketball overseas for the past 15 years, your brother Jerami won a gold medal at the 2020 Olympics, and your uncle Horace won 4 NBA titles: who is the best athlete in the family? That is a tough 1. Jerai is very athletic…but I do not think anyone is QUITE as athletic as Jerami!
Last week you were named to Team USA’s FIBA AmeriCup roster: any predictions for Nicaragua later this month? There is only 1 goal: to win a gold medal!
