The Grind, presented by Bank of Clarendon: Singleton goes from undersized Lakewood guard to international pro

Former Lakewood High School standout Grant Singleton is used to having naysayers.

When he was at The Swamp, he constantly heard that he was too small. College coaches told him he didn't have what it takes to make it at the Division I level. He went the Division II route and ended up at St. Thomas Aquinas but didn't let his DI dreams die. After four years with STA, he transferred to Fairleigh Dickinson and took part in one of the most historic upsets in NCAA Tournament history when the 16-seeded Knights defeated top-seeded Purdue in the first round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament. From there, he boarded a flight to Finland to play his first season of professional hoops for Kataja BC.

Simply put, the last few years have been an emotional roller coaster for Grant, but the former Gator is making the most of his opportunity.

"The turnaround has been fairly quick from high school to college and then transferring to Division I and professional (basketball). But it's been exciting," Grant said. "Being able to experience that, coming from a small town and getting to see that environment, it's great."

SUMTER'S HOOPS HEYDAY

The Grant Singleton who walks around today was born of an incredible basketball environment.

Grant was in high school during what can be argued as the peak of basketball in Sumter. Sure, it isn't the era of Basketball Hall of Famer Ray Allen, but there were stars across the county when Grant and the Gators were on the rise.

The biggest name, of course, is Ja Morant. He exploded into basketball superstardom after his own memorable NCAA Tournament run at Murray State before being selected No. 2 overall by the Memphis Grizzlies. Sumter High had CJ Felder and Isaih Moore, two Division I standouts in their own right. Grant played with another college standout, Devonte Pack, during his time at Lakewood. Outside of the city, Grant was playing AAU ball with the likes of Zion Williamson, who went on to star for Duke and the New Orleans Pelicans.

"It was super competitive at that time, and I'm thankful for that. Basketball was at its peak," Grant said. "Without playing against those guys, I don't think I would have reached these heights. I got better every day. It really helped me a lot."

Sumter High's current head coach Bryan Brown had a front-row seat to the action. He coached Grant at Lakewood while also coaching on the AAU circuit.

"That was some of the best basketball that I've ever been a part of from a competitive standpoint," Bryan said. "Those guys battled, playing in packed gyms. I think he was part of one of the best eras in South Carolina basketball."

Right in the middle of it was Grant Singleton.

"Grant was at Lakewood before it was known to be a basketball school," Bryan said. "He was a part of the rise of Lakewood. He put Lakewood on the map."

It was almost difficult to appreciate just how special that environment was at the time. While Grant knew the area had some true stars, time provides some perspective.

"In the moment, we had that competitive edge. We just wanted to beat them, we just wanted to compete, and that was the main thing at the time," Grant said. "Looking back, we just realize how great of players we were and the heights we could reach."

DISPROVING DOUBTERS

While Grant was at Lakewood, he heard a similar refrain from college coaches.

"My freshman year, I was undersized, and a lot of coaches don't want to take chances on undersized guards," Grant said. "Coach Brown really helped that and instilled confidence in me to be that dog I am. Being short, you have to be that dog."

How does a player combat being too small? Wil Singleton, Grant's father, saw only one response from his son.

"He dealt with it by just putting in work, putting in work, putting in work. I mean early mornings, after practice, he overcame it that way," Wil said. "After his sophomore year in high school, when he started to grow a little bit, he set out to prove all of the naysayers wrong."

Grant's confidence also grew because he knew he was playing against elite talent every single day.

"When I see certain competition, I'm like, 'I played with the best of the best. I could compete with the best,'" he said. "I just always try to stay humble because I know I can always get better."

COLLEGIATE HISTORY

Grant spent four years at St. Thomas Aquinas, waiting for his opportunity to come. As it turns out, so was his head coach, Tobin Anderson. The STA coach took a job at Fairleigh Dickenson, and Grant had one year of eligibility left. It was a perfect storm to get to Division I hoops.

"It was great timing because I had already been through my four years at Division II, so I grew and developed. And then also having my teammates and my coach going with me, it helped the transition a lot. (It was a) Familiar system," Grant said. "But the Division I level, a lot of people are taller and more physical. Once I got that part down, it was pretty smooth."

Grant and the Knights were the underdogs in the truest definition of the word. They were only in the NCAA Tournament because of a technicality. FDU lost to Merrimack in the Northeastern Conference championship game by one point, but Merrimack was ineligible for March Madness because the school was still in the middle of its transition to Division I. So, FDU earned the spot instead.

It was a true David-versus-Goliath matchup. The Knights were the shortest team in Division I and matched up with the Big Ten champions, led by recent lottery pick and 7'4" center Zach Edey. With their speed, the Knights pulled out a 63-58 win. Grant finished with eight points, six rebounds and five assists. He also dished out a dime on one of the most crucial baskets late in the game.

In that game, Bryan saw the same underdog he saw at Lakewood.

"Ever since I met Grant, he's had that mindset. I can remember games where something would happen like someone would steal a ball from him, and it would turn him into a different player. He'll go and take it back from him because he always had this go-get-it mentality. He always wanted to be the best on the floor, and he did whatever it took to get that," Bryan said. "That's the same thing we saw in the NCAA Tournament. He was fit for that moment. It wasn't a surprise to me. Although I was tremendously happy for him, it wasn't a surprise to see him step up to the level that he did."

Suddenly, Grant and his teammates were celebrities around campus.

"We went into the city the next day and, just because we had gear, everybody's head was just turning," Grant said. "I didn't realize so many people had seen the game. It's something that really doesn't set in until you get around the public because you're so centered in on that court. It was crazy."

Grant's biggest takeaway wasn't the attention. It was learning what it takes to shine on the biggest stage.

"Just the professionalism of it and just staying composed, staying humble," he said. "You can easily get out of character being in that environment, so just being humble, always listening, always paying attention to details."

GOING PRO

The former Gator took that mindset into the professional ranks in Finland. He was suddenly diving into a whole new world. While he got a taste of a bigger environment going to college in New York, Finland was a whole new ballgame.

"In some places, the team is the only thing they have going in town, so everybody in the town is in there cheering as loud as they can, waving flags. They're really proud of what they have going on in their town and their country," Grant said. "Their language is pretty tough to speak, but they do a pretty good job with English and trying to speak to us and get to know us."

For a hooper from South Carolina, the most shocking thing had nothing to do with basketball or even the language.

"When I first got to New York, it was windy. You walk around and it's super cold, but I got to Finland, and it's in the negatives and you got some freezing, and it snowed all year," he said. "It was crazy. I didn't want to go outside a lot."

Being a professional also comes with new quirks. As a college athlete, there is an immense amount of structure in your day-to-day life between class and practice and workouts. As a pro, you're on your own. Grant got a taste of that experience as a graduate transfer because his course load wasn't as intense, but it was still quite the adjustment.

"They prepare you for the hard work, but once you get there, it's a lot on your own, a lot of work that you put in by yourself," Grant said. "(Being a grad transfer) Definitely prepared me for kind of how my life is now, lift and work out, take care of my body and then just relax, eat the proper foods, having that time to do that."

Then there is the actual basketball. Grant was used to playing in a run-and-gun system where he was free to go off script. That's not exactly the style of play in Finland.

"My team played a little bit slower, but my coach wanted me to come in and play faster to my speed," Grant said. "That helped me balance when (there are) certain times of the game, 'OK, let's play fast, play your style.' And there are certain times to slow it down a little bit."

Grant had a strong first season. In league games, he averaged 9.3 points a game, adding 2.9 assists and 2.1 rebounds. In the postseason, he averaged 9.5 points a game, including a 22-point outing. Kataja made it to the league's semifinal, ultimately falling to BC Nokia by one point in the defining seventh game of the series 75-74.

While the final results left the team just short of their goal, Grant was able to use his college basketball experience on Finland's largest stage.

"We finally got that chemistry going towards the playoffs, which is why I think March Madness really helped me a lot," he said. "That intensity grows, more fans come, and that intensity gets crazier."

Back at home, Wil and the rest of the Singleton family kept up with games as much as they could. During the regular season, it was hard to access games, especially with a seven-hour time difference. Access became easier during the postseason, and Wil was able to watch his son shine.

"The experience he had up in New York was good for him in that he didn't have a problem being away from home, getting to know people and being able to adapt to a new environment, new people, new friends, new teammates, new coaches," Wil said on his confidence in Grant going overseas. "I knew he would be OK, but to see how he dealt with being in a different country, becoming a professional at what he's doing, we are really proud of him."

Now Grant dives back into the waters of international free agency. He expects to land with a team within the next month. He's taken a particular interest in German leagues because of the faster style of play, but there's one thing he really needs at his next stop.

"Definitely places that are hotter," Grant joked. "But teams that play faster paces, like to get up and down and play more of a freelance (style)."

ROLE MODEL

Grant hopes his basketball journey can be a shining light for local hoopers who haven't gotten that Division I offer they've been hoping for. He knows the long route can still get you to your destination.

"If you just put in the work, just work constantly, get in the gym or the field by yourself, you start to learn things, and you'll see yourself grow the next time you get on the court. Just continue to work," he said. "The goals that you want may not be there right away, but it may be four or five moves down the line, so just stay with it. They're coming, I promise, but just stay with it.

"Keep God with you always. Talk to Him and keep working; the results are going to come later on. Everybody has those times where it's like, 'Man, I don't know if this is it,' but tomorrow could be that day, so that always keeps me going. I just know tomorrow might be the day where I get the call that might change my life."

Brown brings Grant to meet with his players whenever the former Gator has some free time in the offseason. He's grateful to have a resource like him for the next generation of hoopers in Sumter.

"It's good that he's willing to come back into this environment and work out with the younger guys and they can see him and his work ethic," Brown said. "The guys are sometimes in awe of him when they watch him work out."

Wil thinks the current crop of high school standouts can learn a lot from his son.

"I'm of course partial because he's my son, but he is an example of what it takes to get where you want to go," Wil said. "Being undersized and being told that you would not be big enough to play at the D1 level - the college level first, then the D1 level - and having enough discipline to put in the work consistently, even when it didn't really look like it was paying off, is what I'm so proud of. He is extremely disciplined; he knows what he needs to do to get better, and he's willing to do what it takes to get better.

"For his age, trust me, there are very few out there that are as disciplined as he is about doing what he knows he needs to do to accomplish what he needs to accomplish, and I think that is a story in and of itself. And then to come out of a smaller town, not having the recognition of some of his peers, that were saying from Columbia, for example, or Atlanta, Charlotte, playing on the high-profile high school teams and to overcome that and to stay focused is a statement."

Grant doesn't take that responsibility lightly.

"You always want to be an example, and I want to see more kids maybe not take my route but just that route where I'm sticking with it, I'm gonna make the impossible possible," he said. "I just want them to look at me and see the positive and see the grind, see a humbleness and just move forward."