EAST STROUDSBURG – East Stroudsburg University junior guard
Whis Grant, the returning PSAC East Athlete of the Year and an All-America honorable mention selection by multiple organizations as a sophomore, has been named to the Division II Bulletin "Super 16" entering the 2013-14 season, it was announced Monday.
Grant (Plymouth Meeting/Plymouth Whitemarsh) is one of two players from the Atlantic Region on the list, along with Livingstone senior guard Mark Thomas. The "Super 16" includes two players from each of the eight regions in Division II.
ESU is mentioned as 14 teams to watch, along with the 25 teams listed in the preseason poll. A year ago, the Warriors gained their highest national ranking in school history when they were No. 9 in the NABC DII coaches poll on February 12.
The Warriors, under 12th-year head coach
Jeff Wilson, are coming off their second PSAC East regular season title in four years, their third trip to the NCAA Division II Tournament in four years and fourth straight trip to the PSAC Final Four. They were 22-7 a year ago and are 82-37 in the last four years for a winning percentage of .689.
Grant and junior guard
Matt Tobin give the Warriors two returning starters in the backcourt with the departure of
Duane Johnson (three-time All-PSAC East),
Terrance King (two-time All-PSAC East) and
Gerald Bridges in the frontcourt. Johnson and King both finished their careers in ESU's career top 10 in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots.
Grant was named to DII All-America honorable mention teams by the Division II Bulletin and Daktronics, which is voted on by the nation's sports information directors. He was ESU's first All-America selection since Lonnie White in 1993 and was the only non-senior on the Daktronics and NABC All-Atlantic Region first teams.
He averaged 17.6 points per game, leading the Warriors in scoring for the second straight year, and enters his junior year with 925 career points – ESU's record for points through a sophomore season. Jonathan Roberts, a three-time All-America and PSAC East Athlete of the Year, scored 921 points through two years on his way to a school record 2,218 points from 1987-90.
Grant ranked 6th in the PSAC in scoring, tied for 6th in steals (1.9), 2nd in 3-point percentage (40.5), 5th in 3-pointers per game (2.4) and 12th in free throw percentage (79.4) as part of an impressive all-around campaign.
He scored 20+ points in 11 games, including six times in a school record-tying 14-game winning streak from December 19 to February 13. He averaged 19.1 points per game in that stretch, and 22.9 in a nine-game streak including 28 at Slippery Rock, 29 at Edinboro and 25 at Mansfield in consecutive games.
He scored 21 points (19 in the first half) of a 102-74 win over Mansfield in the PSAC quarterfinals, and had 26 points against IUP in a 76-68 loss in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Grant was the top scorer as a freshman on ESU's 2012 PSAC championship team, averaging 13.9 points per game. He was the first freshman to lead a PSAC title team in scoring in at least 25 years, and scored 431 points, second-most by a freshman in school history.
He enters his junior year with 10+ points in 49 of 59 career games – including 20+ points in 16 games, and two 30-point games, both coming in the season opener of his freshman and sophomore campaigns.
Division II Bulletin "Super 16" Selections
East Region
Garrett Kerr, University of the Sciences, Jr. F
Dominykas Milka, St. Rose, Sr. C
Atlantic Region
Mark Thomas, Livingstone, Sr. G
Whis Grant, ESU, Jr. G
Midwest Region
Greg Kahlig, Findlay, Sr. F
Asa Toney, Maryville, Sr. G
Central Region
Bryton Hobbs, Northeastern St., Sr. G
Duane Brunson, Fort Hays State, Sr. F
South Region
Ellis Young III, West Florida, Sr. G
Jerrell Harris, Saint Leo, Sr. G
Southeast Region
Antoine Davis, Carson-Newman, Sr. F
Troran Brown, Montevallo, Jr. G
South Central Region
Craig Foster, Cameron, Sr. G
Alex Herrera, Fort Lewis, Jr. F
West Region
Brian Goins, Cal State-San Bernadino, Sr. G
David Downs, Seattle Pacific, Sr. G
DII Bulletin Preseason Top 25
1. Metro State
2. West Liberty
3. Seattle Pacific
4. USC Aiken
5. Bellarmine
6. Cal Poly Pomona
7. St. Anselm
8. Minnesota State
9. Findlay
10. Northeastern State
11. Kentucky Wesleyan
12. Midwestern State
13. Lincoln Memorial
14. Florida Southern
15. Indiana (Pa.)
16. Drury
17. Western Washington
18. Livingstone
19. Philadelphia
20. Alabama-Huntsville
21. Carson-Newman
22. Augustana
23. Southern Indiana
24. Tarleton State
25. Winona State
Others to Watch:
LIU Post
Southern New Hampshire
East Stroudsburg
Christian Brothers
Florida Tech
Anderson
St. Cloud State
Cameron
Fort Lewis
Wayne State (Mich.)
Cal State San-Bernadino
Dixie State
Fort Hays State
Barton
