Former Indiana All-Star Transfers to Grace College
by PAUL CONDRY
WINONA LAKE, Ind. ‘ 2009 Indiana Mr. Basketball runner-up Bruce Grimm, Jr., has signed a letter of intent to play basketball at Grace College after transferring from NCAA Div. I East Tennessee State University.
Grimm will have three years of eligibility to play for the Lancers, who are coming off back-to-back trips to the NAIA National Tournament in 2008 and 2009 and an appearance in the NCCAA National Tournament in March 2010.
“I am excited about joining the basketball family at Grace College,” Grimm said. “I look forward to getting my major in Education and learning more about God.”
Grimm had a standout high school career at Rochester High School in Rochester, Ind., before signing with East Tennessee State University. He is the all-time leading scorer at Rochester. He was also a 2009 Indiana All-Star, a three-time First Team All-Three Rivers Conference player and the Hickory Husker Player of the Year and the Burger King Player of the Year in 2009.
At East Tennessee State, Grimm started five games on a team that won the Atlantic Sun Conference. They advanced to the NCAA Tournament, losing in the first round to the University of Kentucky.
“Bruce is a tremendous player and a quality young man,” said Grace head coach Jim Kessler. “He has many individual accolades but wants to be a part of our program. Everywhere Bruce has been, he has had success, and we look forward to him joining our family at Grace.”
Grimm also set a state finals record with eight three-pointers in an 81-79 double overtime loss to top-ranked and unbeaten Princeton High School at Conseco Fieldhouse. For the game, he scored a total of 40 points. Grimm hit three 3″s in the final 1:04 of regulation, including a game-tying shot with one second left to send the game into overtime. For many media outlets, it was a performance that will go down in history in Indiana high school basketball.
As a result, he was named the 2009 Indiana State Tournament MVP by The Associated Press. He shot 76 percent from the foul line and 36 percent from the three-point line for the year. He also averaged 26.9 points, 5.8 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 3.8 steals a game his senior year.
“We are very excited to have Bruce join our family at Grace College and look forward to the impact he will have not only on our basketball program but also on our campus and community,” said Grace athletic director Chad Briscoe.
Grimm will join Grace”s incoming recruits, which includes Three Rivers Conference Player of the Year Greg Miller from North Miami High School, 6″11″ Dennis Williams from Jamaica and 6″11″ Adrian Makolli from Lakeland Christian Academy.
“You land a player of his caliber in the Mid-Central College Conference, and he has an immediate impact,” Kessler continued. “We look forward to that impact for the next three years, both on and off the court.”
Grace College is located in Winona Lake, Ind., and is a member of the Mid-Central College Conference and is affiliated with the NAIA and the NCCAA.