By Gio Gennero | sports editor
This offseason, Baylor Men’s Basketball acquired a junior guard Danwan Grimes, adding even more depth to the Bears’ stacked backcourt. Grimes comes from Kilgore College where he led the team in scoring and assists, while helping the team reach two consecutive NJCAA National Tournaments.
“Outside of high school, I had no offers,” Grimes said. “Nobody really wanted to take a chance on me. I was an undersized guard, I wasn’t really athletic, so I decided to go to junior college.
Grimes credits much of his success to Cody McCoy, Kilgore’s assistant coach who was previously on Baylor’s coaching staff. Grimes said when he arrived he still didn’t fully understand what it took to be great and McCoy was instrumental in that process.
“McCoy was the one who taught me these things, like discipline, setting goals and working every day,” Grimes said. “Don’t really focus on the end goal for a while, just work hard and let it all pay off in the future.”
McCoy said Grimes was his first recruit at Kilgore, where they built their relationship. McCoy said they had a special connection from the start due to their similar personalities and the start of similar journeys together.
“I remember picking him up from the airport, and he’s with his mom and he’s nervous because it was his first time getting on a plane,” McCoy said. “You know, from the first practice you could tell he had something different about him, and he had no idea.”
McCoy said he would tell stories to Grimes about the work ethic of Davion Mitchell and other Baylor players and how it led to something bigger than themselves. He said Grimes was ready to work and just did his best to help him along the way.
“These are the possibilities that you can achieve, but it won’t be easy,” McCoy told Grimes. “Kilgore is an opportunity to launch yourself into a different place where a lot of people think you can’t go. It’s going to be tough and it’s not always going to be fun.
Luckily for Grimes, motivation is something he has never lacked. His journey is bigger than basketball for him. His determination stems from growing up in Ocala, Florida. He said his mother was his biggest inspiration to keep working in hopes of a better future.
“It was tough there, so it was kind of tough growing up,” Grimes said. “My mum was someone who really influenced me. She had me young so it was like we grew up together. Seeing the things she had to go through pushed me to be successful and to help her and my family have a better life.
Although he doesn’t have much time here under his belt, Grimes said he was enjoying the transition and liked what he saw from the team. He said the team is gelling very well on and off the pitch and he wants to give his all in his next seasons in green and gold.
“The most important thing for me is to trust the process,” Grimes said. “I’m three years old here so I’m not rushing. I’m going to come in and do my best and do my best for the team. Doing my job and playing as hard as I can, just trying to help us get to a national championship.
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