Basketball in the Cities: A day at Mac
Covering MIAC basketball over the years is a welcome change from pro hoops and big time college basketball as well. Each year I spend a day watching Division III hoops, and last Saturday we did just that at Macalester College in St. Paul in our annual “Basketball in the Cities.”
Late in the Jan. 18 contest between Macalester and Saint Mary’s, Robert Grace IV made the defensive stop of the game when he was mismatched with a taller player. The 5’10” senior guard kept his man from getting the ball at the high post, which helped preserve Mac’s 61-56 victory.
“We knew I had four fouls [and] they’re trying to give me my fifth,” explained the Minneapolis native after the game. “I knew if I just pushed him out far enough without going to foul…they weren’t going to try to force it in there.”
Grace either scored or assisted on eight of Mac’s first 10 points, and he finished the contest with five points.
This is his final season at Macalester.
“Definitely time flies,” he admitted, “especially playing basketball on the court with nine games left at least. So I’m just trying to give everything I can for my teammates.”
The younger Grace has used college not only to play basketball but also to get an education and carve out a career for himself. “I knew I was always going to try to find something that I want to do and put the time in for myself,” he said. “I was always just trying to hustle… I was able to do a lot of things [at Macalester].
“I always knew I was going to be an entrepreneur,” said Grace, who last month was hired by the Minnesota Timberwolves. “It started out as a hobby. I was just doing some freelance stuff with the players, so I was in the building the past couple seasons. In December, they offered me a full-time job. I’m a full-time videographer for the Wolves,” he said proudly.
Finally…
Former MIAC member St. Thomas, now in D1, was my last stop on last weekend’s hoop fest. The Tommies defeated Denver 74-62 in Summit League play.
Charles Hallman welcomes reader comments to challman@spokesman-recorder.com.