Anthony Grant and Billy Donovan have a close relationship – the type only coaches could share or understand. It’s the type of camaraderie forged by 12 years and countless hours spent watching film, strategizing and recruiting.

It was always easy to identify their roles. Donovan was the star: the boy wonder of the coaching fraternity who rose via the fast track to coaching stardom. Grant was the second-in-command, working behind the scenes as Donovan’s top assistant since the two joined forces at Marshall in 1994 and migrated to Florida two years later.’Billy is someone I trust and admire,’ Grant said. ‘One of the things he told us as his assistants is that he wanted all of us prepared to be head coaches eventually. He thought that highly of us that he wanted that.’

In the wake of Florida’s national championship last season, Grant decided it was time to test the lessons learned from Donovan, accepting the head coaching position at Virginia Commonwealth. So far in his first season as the lead man, the 40-year-old former assistant is proving what Donovan knew all along – that Grant has the ability to be a successful college coach.

Grant’s Rams are 16-3 this year and a perfect 8-0 in the Colonial Athletic Association heading into Wednesday night.’I always felt that (Grant), recruiting, X’s and O’s, coaching, motivating young people, is as good as anybody out there,’ Donovan said. ‘VCU got a complete steal, and I was a little surprised that there wasn’t that much attention going to VCU. Maybe it was because it wasn’t one of the power conferences, but they got one of the best coaches in the country.’

Grant’s college coaching debut was a long time in the making. The former Dayton standout spent his first seven years out of college coaching high school basketball in his hometown of Miami, where his teams captured three state titles. His high school prowess earned him an assistant coaching job at Stetson for one season in 1993.

Enter Donovan.

In 1994, the 28-year-old Donovan accepted his first head coaching job at Marshall, fresh off a four-year stint as Rick Pitino’s assistant at Kentucky. The NCAA’s youngest head coach needed to assemble a coaching staff and thought of Grant, whom he met while recruiting one of Grant’s high school players, Allen Edwards, for Kentucky. Edwards, who joined Grant’s staff at VCU as an assistant this season, became a two-time national champion at Kentucky. Grant joined Donovan at Marshall, where the two led the Thundering Herd to a 35-20 record during their two seasons in Huntington, W.Va.

Grant followed Donovan to Florida prior to the 1996 season and played an integral role in building the Gator into a national powerhouse. Florida compiled eight straight NCAA Tournament appearances, eight straight seasons of 20 wins or more and two Southeastern Conference titles during the duo’s time in Gainesville, Fla. The coaches’ success reached a crescendo last season, as the Gator basketball program earned its first ever national title.’To be part of eight straight tournament appearances culminating in a national title meant a lot because it came in stages,’ Grant said. ‘To go from a team that couldn’t win an SEC Championship to NCAA champion meant a great deal.’

Grant’s role in Florida’s success didn’t go totally unnoticed. Grant received various coaching offers during his tenure. For 10 years, though, Grant seemed unmotivated to leave the successful atmosphere he played a role in creating at Florida.

‘I think a lot of guys want to become head coaches at a very early age and take on the challenge,’ Donovan said. ‘I think Anthony was one of those guys who was a little different. He wanted to wait. He felt like he had a great situation at Florida.’He had a couple different job offers over the last several years. He could have gone to the NBA a few times as an assistant coach. He was offered some head coaching jobs. But the timing, the situation, he didn’t feel was best.’

The right opportunity for Grant arose following last season. Former VCU coach Jeff Capel left to fill the coaching void at the Oklahoma. The administration at VCU immediately began looking for a coach with a winning pedigree to build on the foundation Capel started.

‘When President (Eugene) Trani met with us, he told us he was going to try and bring in a winner here,’ VCU senior guard B.A Walker, the team’s leading scorer this season, said. ‘We actually got a chance to meet with Grant before they hired him and I was very impressed with what he brought to the table with his style of play and trying to be more up-tempo.’

Grant must have come away equally impressed, as he accepted VCU’s coaching offer shortly after his visit last April. The ninth head coach in the Rams’ history was lured in large part by the infrastructure and devotion to basketball already present at VCU.

‘There was a history and a commitment to winning here,’ Grant said. ‘I’m fortunate enough that coach Capel did a great job of recruiting and built a great team here.’Since he set foot on the Richmond, Va., campus, Grant has infused into the Rams program the confidence and up-tempo coaching style famous from his days at Florida. Yet Grant is the first to admit his work is just beginning. The ambitious coach hopes to nurture the blossoming Rams program into the CAA favorite and mid-major threat he thinks it has the potential to become.

‘That’s why I’m here,’ Grant said. ‘That’s my vision for this program and I hope to be a part of that in my time here.’

Tennessee Star Lofton Hurt

Tennessee junior guard Chris Lofton suffered a sprained ankle in the second half of the Volunteers 64-61 victory over South Carolina on Saturday. Though X-rays were negative on the ankle, Lofton, who leads the SEC in scoring this season with 21.5 points per game, remained sidelined for Tennessee’s Wednesday night matchup at Ole Miss.

‘Chris Lofton is one of the premier players in our league,’ South Carolina coach Dave Odom said. ‘And we have many, but he’s right at the top. He can take a game over in an eye-blink.’

Tennessee coaches are still unsure whether Lofton will be able to play Saturday when the Vols visit Kentucky, which is 4-1 in the SEC. The injury comes at a crucial time for the Volunteers, who are just 2-2 in conference play and fifth in the SEC East heading into Wednesday’s action.

Published on January 23, 2007 at 12:00 pm