Clemson loses star Donte Grantham for the season
Clemson received devastating news on Sunday as an MRI confirmed that Tigers forward Donte Grantham has suffered a torn ACL and is out for the year.
The senior was having the best year of his career before being injured in the second half of Saturday’s 67-58 victory against Notre Dame.
Grantham was averaging 14 points and seven rebounds per game, in addition to being the leader of the 20th-ranked Tigers.
“(Donte) is still a very valuable member of this team, whose leadership will continue to power this team moving forward. I’m confident he will attack this setback the right way and come back stronger than ever from this injury,” Tigers coach Brad Brownell said. “He certainly has an exceptionally bright future in basketball.”
Grantham considered entering the NBA draft following his junior season but opted to return and play one final year for the Tigers.
His versatility is a big reason why Clemson is off to a 16-3 start and also a reason why he is on the radar of NBA scouts.
In addition to ranking second on the team in points and rebounds, Grantham also has the third-most assists (45), second-most blocks (17) and fourth-most steals (15). He was shooting 56 percent from the floor and 42 percent from 3-point range.
“I’m disappointed that Donte’s career at Clemson had to end this way. He was putting together a terrific season statistically, but he really helps this team in so many ways,” Brownell said. “He has been a pleasure to coach and it has been fun to watch him mature and grow into the leader of our program.”
This story was originally published January 21, 2018 at 1:56 PM with the headline "Clemson loses star Donte Grantham for the season."