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CLEMSON - As Clemson prepares to embark on the homestretch of its ACC season, the emergence of Jerai Grant couldn't be any timelier.
Clemson has a 4-4 ACC record entering its final eight league games, and the team is counting not only on Grant's presence, but also productivity as it seeks to finish with a flourish.
"We're going to need two post players," sophomore guard Tanner Smith said. "We can't just rely on (Trevor) Booker every night."
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Like Sunday night.
With Booker enduring the most challenging shooting night of his career - he converted 2-of-16 field goal attempts - Grant responded with a career-high 18 points.
The victory was big in many ways for Grant, a Maryland native who was not recruited by the Terrapins.
"I definitely feel more confident now," Grant said. "As long as the team trusts me, I'll keep trusting myself to put the ball on the rim."
Grant definitely put the ball on the rim - and through the net more often than not. Grant was 7-of-11 from the field, including four dunks, and served as the perfect complement to Booker.
"Jerai had an excellent ballgame, because he provided some offense opposite Book," Clemson coach Oliver Purnell said. "They're coming over on (Booker), and there's Jerai sealing on the opposite side. But give his teammates an awful lot of credit because they got him the ball where he could score.
"They made a conscious decision they were going to take Book away. When that happens, if you're playing opposite him, then you've got to make sure you get yourself in a position to score."
Grant did, time and again. The 6-foot-9 junior center also corralled a career-high 12 rebounds - giving him his second career double-double - and blocked four shots.
With Booker recovering from the flu, Grant knew he'd have a bigger impact on the game.
"Just the way things have been going, I knew I was going to have to step up," Grant said. "I knew it was going to be a good game for me when I went over my (scoring) average in the first half. But winning is the most important thing, so that's what I was focused on."
With several days of rest before traveling to Virginia Tech on Saturday, Grant said Sunday night's victory was huge from a mental perspective.
"It prepares us," he said. "It catapults us into the rest of the ACC season. It's going to be key to show toughness down the stretch and that's what we did tonight."
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