Grant Finds a Home in Rochester
Jan. 6, 2006
By Matt DaSilva, Lacrosse Magazine Online Staff
Rochester's love affair with John Grant Jr. last year became a more permanent one.
Grant moved there in January, and had considerable success in 2005. A force in the National Lacrosse League (league-best 49 goals, 55 assists) and in Major League Lacrosse (21g, 17a) for the Knighthawks and Rattlers, respectively, the Canadian's popularity has since soared in his new home.
Street and Smith's Sports Business Journal in July named Rochester - located on the Genesee River in upstate New York - the No.1 minor-league sports market in the country. That includes the Knighthawks and Rattlers. That includes John Grant Jr.
"They really rally behind their athletes here," Grant said Friday before leaving for Colorado, where the Knighthawks will meet the Mammoth in their season-opener Saturday at 9 p.m. Eastern.
"They tell you when they're behind you," said head coach Ed Comeau. "And when they're not happy, they'll let you know that, too."
Thus far, they are thrilled that Grant descended from his native Ontario to Rochester. In December, he signed a two-year contract that runs through the 2007 NLL season. Despite lingering knee problems - he tore an ACL in 2004 and had his knee scoped again in October for excess debris - Grant said Rochester considered awarding him the $23,000 franchise tag.
"But because I signed, they didn't have to," Grant said. "They made it rewarding financially to stay the extra year." Asked how much he signed for, he said, "They made it worth my while."
A temporary hiccup, as far as his involvement with the MLL's Rattlers is concerned, occurred in November, when the team left him unprotected in the expansion draft. "At first glance," he admitted, "I was upset at the whole thing."
Grant was selected by Denver, and then traded back to Rochester.
But the box is where his bread gets buttered, anyhow. A 6-foot-2, 230-pound forward, Grant is the Knighthawks' all-time leading scorer with 177 goals and 371 points in six seasons. His menacing mannerisms about the crease and elsewhere make him difficult to contain on a smaller floor.
As per Grant and Comeau, he will definitely be on the floor Saturday night, but not at 100 percent. Grant admits now that he came back too soon from the knee surgery which sidelined him for the final 11 games of the 2004 NLL season. After only five months of recovery, he played full seasons for the Rattlers, the Knighthawks, the Rattlers again and then in the Mann Cup last summer.
In his words, he's "starting to get old." But the 31-year-old still has plenty left, despite saying that "maybe I won't try to take the ball to the net all the time."
Even though he's gone gingerly about the business of preseason, Comeau said Grant will look no different - the same old bull-dodger.
"John Grant at 75 percent is still a pretty impressive player," Comeau said. "We understand his situation, and once the whistle goes, I think you'll see the John Grant we all know."
There is certainly an element of change accompanying Rochester in its 2006 campaign, one year after finishing 10-6 and advancing to the NLL playoffs for the 11th time in as many years as a professional franchise. For one, former head coach Paul Day took with him to Edmonton a number of Knighthawks, including former captain Andrew Turner. Additionally, original Knighthawk and 11-year veteran Tim Soudan recently retired, and Casey Zaph is no longer with the team after collapsing in a doctor's office last July and suffering bleeding in his brain. Zaph, too, is retired.
The new guard, Grant said, will emphasize conditioning more. And while Comeau said the team will continue to employ Day's defense-first mentality (
Their one, rather large constant is Grant.
Bum knee and all, Grant would like to keep it that way. He's currently working toward a green card to allow him certain employment opportunities in Rochester. Currently, lacrosse is his lone source of income. In addition to the Knighthawks and Rattlers, he operates youth lacrosse clinics every Tuesday and Thursday at All-Star Sports in Irondequoit. He is a certified teacher in Canada, but not in the United States.
Also on Friday, Grant said he has not ruled out the possibility of trying to return to the University of Delaware, where he first earned exposure as a collegiate All-American in 1998-99 and was an assistant coach in 2000. He was inducted into the UD Athletics Hall of Fame in November.
"That's definitely an option," Grant said. "I love the area and it's something I'd definitely consider, but they're pretty much set with what they have now."
Likewise, the Rochester Knighthawks are set for now with what they have - a hometown favorite who may be one of the game's best remaining players.
NOTES: Since suffering a severe brain injury in July, Casey Zaph has been keeping friends, family and the lacrosse community at large updated on his condition via Carepages, an online service for participating patients.
In his most recent post Dec. 15, Zaph wrote: "As the holidays approach and life gradually returns to normal, I have decided to attempt to move forward and put this injury business behind me. For the record, it has been a very strange 6 months! From having to wear diapers and being unable to walk...to having my 3-year-old son and father 'wheel' me down the street in a wheelchair! Bizarre... My life is noticeably different now, but I argue that having more time to spend with your wife and kids is not a negative. As many of you can guess, I can no longer play lacrosse."
Division: East
Last year: 10-6, third place. Beat Buffalo, 19-14, in the quarterfinals. Lost to Toronto, 12-10,
in the semifinals.
Home arena: Blue Cross Arena at the Rochester War Memorial (capacity, 11,200).
Head coach: Ed Comeau (first season with Knighthawks; second overall NLL season, 2-4
record).
Returning all-star: John Grant Jr. (first team, 49-56-105).
Outlook: Comeau becomes the third coach in the franchise's 12-year history, replacing Paul
Day, who moved on to Edmonton. Comeau is certainly no rookie, having played a huge role
on Les Bartley's staff in Toronto. In Grant, Comeau has perhaps the league's most talented
offensive player. Shawn Williams (33-50-83) and Mike Accursi (23-48-71) give Grant plenty
of offensive support. Two-way standout Steve Toll (9-13-22), picked up from San Jose late
last season, provided a breath of fresh air for the postseason run. Bellarmine's Shawn Evans,
taken second overall in the draft, will join his older brother Scott. It was a tough offseason
for the organization, which was rocked when Casey Zaph (0-8-8), a seven-year pro,
suffered a serious brain injury.
The schedule: Opening in Denver is no treat, nor is the home opener against Toronto. This
year, the Knighthawks must do better than 1-2 against the Swarm, who they'll face twice on
the road in January.
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