Former UW Hoopster Jackson Grant Lands at Utah State
Jackson Grant, a McDonald's All-America selection and a local guy at that, didn't work out with the University of Washington basketball program and was one of seven players who left once the season ended.
On Friday, the 6-foot-10 forward from Olympia, Washington, after a brief flirtation with Montana State, announced on social media he will play for Utah State in the Mountain West Conference.
In Danny Sprinkle, Grant has an Aggies coach who appears determined to turn him into a steady contributor at the college level.
Sprinkle was at Montana State when he first received a commitment from Grant and now has another one from the former Husky after getting hired at Utah State.
Grant carries a solid frame, though he lost roughly 25 pounds as a freshman after contracting COVID during the 2021-22 season.
This past year, Mike Hopkins' staff tried to redshirt him but needed his services when 6-foot-11 Franck Kepnang suffered a season-ending knee injury in the eighth game.
In making the transition to Pac-12 basketball, Grant surprisingly appeared reticent if not overmatched offensively.
At Utah State, he'll have a new coach in Sprinkle who seems committed to him and will have every opportunity to show if there's more to him and his game than he showed at the UW.
Player development has not been a strong suit for Hopkins, who seems to do better finding veterans in the transfer portal who have established games.
Case in point, promising former UW guards RaeQuan Battle and Keyon Menifield are now at West Virginia and Arkansas, respectively, both feeling the need to move on in recent seasons.
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