JOHN GRANT, 1955-2021
Tributes have been paid to John Grant, who died suddenly on Saturday at the age of 66.
From Pitlochry, the schoolteacher founded Arbroath Musketeers in 1993 as an extension of his development work in the town’s high school.
Becoming one of Scotland’s most successful basketball coaches, his club went on to produce thousands of players, including current Great Britain internationals Gareth Murray and Hannah Robb, while picking up numerous Scottish league and Cup titles.
Regularly involved with Scotland’s national teams, Grant was also a respected figure on both sides of the Atlantic through his involvement in junior camps and programmes over the past four decades.
A keen cyclist, he is survived by his wife Allison.
Murray described his mentor as “his biggest influence”, having pushed him to develop what would become an impressive career from a relatively humble start.
Former England coach Laszlo Nemeth (pictured above with Grant, right), who brought in the Scot to help head up his own camp for promising players, praised Grant as a “true friend, dedicated to basketball, fantastic husband.†He added: “He touched many lives and guided young people to basketball.â€
Grant was also a mentor to other coaches throughout the UK with Donna Finnie, the only Briton to serve as a head coach in the USA, declaring, “John helped me so much as a young coach and so so many other coaches and players in Scotland.â€
Added Worcester Wolves head coach Matt Newby: “He was a genuine and caring man whose commitment and dedication to basketball domestically was absolute. The impactful, game-changing opportunities he provided for so many coaches, players and basketball activists leave a wonderful legacy.â€
It was also confirmed that much-respected former referee and administrator Danny Kaye passed away in Edinburgh on Saturday at the age of 90.
Photo: Laszlo Nemeth / Facebook
Do you like our work?
We have a tiny favour to ask. In 2018 we set out to make Hoopsfix sustainable by building our relationship directly with our readers. Up until now, Hoopsfix has been creating editorials, videos and podcasts to provide sorely missing coverage of the British game and its distinct culture and community.
We have funded Hoopsfix with our freelance work creating basketball media, but sadly that means not only does it fall behind our client’s priorities, but some of those clients are the same organisations we need to report objectively on putting us in a conflicted position.
We want to devote more time to our mission of helping British basketball reach its potential, and produce even more content for the basketball community by making Hoopsfix a sustainable 100% independent business funded directly by our readers through Patreon.
If everyone who enjoys our content chose to support us, our future would be much more secure. For as little as $3 per month, you can support Hoopsfix – and it only takes a minute.
We are tremendously honoured and humbled to have a community of people who value what we do, and we look forward to being at the forefront of the British game as it continues to evolve.
0 comments