Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Grannum stays ready as post defensive stopper
1/25/2023 5:34:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The junior forward makes a big impact as role player for Lady Raiders
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Growing up in a basketball family, Jada Grannum says that she always had a ball in her hands. Whether it was on her father's bench or watching her older brothers' games, the youngest Grannum's path was seemingly set from the start.
Well, maybe not always. While Grannum had shot a basketball her whole life, she didn't actually play on an organized team until middle school, when her parents made her choose between dance, which Grannum had done for 10 years, and her family's game.
"I was going to be a six-foot ballerina," Grannum said.
Not content with being in the back row at her dance recitals, Grannum chose basketball, where her dance background helped her quickly pick up the footwork and balance needed to play in the post at a high level. Though, looking back now, Grannum does find a little bit of irony in her past.
"Obviously, I've changed," Grannum said. "Because now the biggest part of my game is my physicality."
A defensive presence in the post for the 16-2 Lady Raiders, Grannum has made her mark as a role player for MTSU this season. Averaging just 4.4 minutes a game, her impact doesn't often show up in the stat sheet. But her presence continues to draw praise from her head coach, Rick Insell, in post-game press conferences, as Grannum's physical defense off the bench provides a crucial change of pace option for the team.
"Her defense in the paint is amazing," assistant coach Nina Davis said. "That's something that isn't shown or that she gets a lot of credit for."
A smart player, Davis notes, Grannum has found her niche on a loaded Lady Raider roster, providing an entirely different look and style of play compared to her teammates in the post. Anastasiia Boldyreva attacks opposing teams with finesse, Kseniya Malashka can go inside out. Jada Grannum is comfortable beating and banging in the post, making things difficult for both opposing post players and driving guards, who find Grannum a difficult player to break down.
Combine that with an improved effort finishing around the rim, a point-of-emphasis for Grannum over the summers she's spent at MTSU, and you have a key role player that the Lady Raiders are confident in when she takes the floor.
"I would love to be able to coach more players like Jada," Davis said. "Jada understands her role on this team, she's accepted it and she's excelling at that role."
Coming to MTSU by way of Canada, Grannum was recruited primarily by Kim Brewton, who spotted the forward while she playing at a tournament in Louisville. When Brewton and Matt Insell came to visit her and her family in Canada, Grannum said, that sealed the deal that Murfreesboro is where she wanted to play.
Her freshman year was tough for a variety of reasons, from COVID delaying her arrival and changing her class rules for her visa (a requirement of nine in-person class hours, for instance) to having to competing with veteran players like Rellah Boothe for minutes on a guard-heavy team. Grannum only appeared in seven games, embracing the year as a chance to improve.
"Coming in as a freshman, I knew I had things to work on," Grannum said. "I'm not going to sit here and say that I was the best player. I was not. I'm a very different player now. The pace of the play was different. I was always a physical player, but we had a lot older seniors that were here that you had to battle them."
Her sophomore year saw her playing time increase, filling a similar niche to what she does this season as a defensive specialist, perhaps even an enforcer at times in the paint, helping slow down opposing offenses, grab rebounds and clean up missed shots.
That role perhaps isn't as glamorous as many of her teammates', but it's one Grannum has figured out how to play over the past two seasons. Given the fact that Grannum often checks in when a teammate is in foul trouble, staying prepped to enter at any time is key, something the coaching staff constantly reminds their junior post player.
"I always laugh, because they're always (telling) me 'Stay ready! Stay ready!' And I'm like, 'Coach, I'm ready!'" Grannum said. "I'm always a very live person on the bench, that's always how I've been. I'm very interactive. I think that's really what keeps me in it. Not checking out and staying present in the game.
"Knowing what plays are being run, what defense, what the other team is doing, I think that helps me stay present so that going in, I know exactly what's going on."
That preparation and energy shows up in small ways on paper that become more evident by taking a bird's eye view of the situation. For example, Grannum averages 1.1 rebounds a game across 62 minutes in her 15 appearances this season. On a per 40-minute basis, that averages to 10.3 rebounds, a higher rebounding rate the Courtney Whitson has on a per-40 basis.
Of course, there's nuance within those numbers. Grannum can afford to play as hard as possible in her short bursts. But that makes her minutes on the court some of MTSU's most impactful.
The high-motor play from a physical post presence can occasionally backfire, like the time Grannum fouled out in five minutes of play against Rice earlier this season. A drawback the team is willing to live with at the moment, so long as the fouls were good fouls the other team had to work to earn, as Matt Insell told Grannum after fouling out that Wednesday evening matchup.
"If she's getting three fouls in two minutes, right now we're not upset because we're telling her to be that," Davis said. "But as she grows, she'll learn how to keep her hands up and time those blocks."
Listed at 6-foot-3, Grannum also knows that she'll likely have a bigger role to play if this team reaches its postseason goals, where the forwards of other teams are likely to be taller than the ones they're used to facing in C-USA.
It's a role that she relishes when her number is called.
"My style of play is different than other posts," Grannum said. "That spark coming off (the bench) can definitely help us, especially when we play teams that have bigger posts, more physical posts.
"That is to come with us in the future. If we want to have a long run, that's what other teams have. I've just embraced my spot and using that (physicality) to help us."
Well, maybe not always. While Grannum had shot a basketball her whole life, she didn't actually play on an organized team until middle school, when her parents made her choose between dance, which Grannum had done for 10 years, and her family's game.
"I was going to be a six-foot ballerina," Grannum said.
Not content with being in the back row at her dance recitals, Grannum chose basketball, where her dance background helped her quickly pick up the footwork and balance needed to play in the post at a high level. Though, looking back now, Grannum does find a little bit of irony in her past.
"Obviously, I've changed," Grannum said. "Because now the biggest part of my game is my physicality."
A defensive presence in the post for the 16-2 Lady Raiders, Grannum has made her mark as a role player for MTSU this season. Averaging just 4.4 minutes a game, her impact doesn't often show up in the stat sheet. But her presence continues to draw praise from her head coach, Rick Insell, in post-game press conferences, as Grannum's physical defense off the bench provides a crucial change of pace option for the team.
"Her defense in the paint is amazing," assistant coach Nina Davis said. "That's something that isn't shown or that she gets a lot of credit for."
A smart player, Davis notes, Grannum has found her niche on a loaded Lady Raider roster, providing an entirely different look and style of play compared to her teammates in the post. Anastasiia Boldyreva attacks opposing teams with finesse, Kseniya Malashka can go inside out. Jada Grannum is comfortable beating and banging in the post, making things difficult for both opposing post players and driving guards, who find Grannum a difficult player to break down.
Combine that with an improved effort finishing around the rim, a point-of-emphasis for Grannum over the summers she's spent at MTSU, and you have a key role player that the Lady Raiders are confident in when she takes the floor.
"I would love to be able to coach more players like Jada," Davis said. "Jada understands her role on this team, she's accepted it and she's excelling at that role."
Coming to MTSU by way of Canada, Grannum was recruited primarily by Kim Brewton, who spotted the forward while she playing at a tournament in Louisville. When Brewton and Matt Insell came to visit her and her family in Canada, Grannum said, that sealed the deal that Murfreesboro is where she wanted to play.
Her freshman year was tough for a variety of reasons, from COVID delaying her arrival and changing her class rules for her visa (a requirement of nine in-person class hours, for instance) to having to competing with veteran players like Rellah Boothe for minutes on a guard-heavy team. Grannum only appeared in seven games, embracing the year as a chance to improve.
"Coming in as a freshman, I knew I had things to work on," Grannum said. "I'm not going to sit here and say that I was the best player. I was not. I'm a very different player now. The pace of the play was different. I was always a physical player, but we had a lot older seniors that were here that you had to battle them."
Her sophomore year saw her playing time increase, filling a similar niche to what she does this season as a defensive specialist, perhaps even an enforcer at times in the paint, helping slow down opposing offenses, grab rebounds and clean up missed shots.
That role perhaps isn't as glamorous as many of her teammates', but it's one Grannum has figured out how to play over the past two seasons. Given the fact that Grannum often checks in when a teammate is in foul trouble, staying prepped to enter at any time is key, something the coaching staff constantly reminds their junior post player.
"I always laugh, because they're always (telling) me 'Stay ready! Stay ready!' And I'm like, 'Coach, I'm ready!'" Grannum said. "I'm always a very live person on the bench, that's always how I've been. I'm very interactive. I think that's really what keeps me in it. Not checking out and staying present in the game.
"Knowing what plays are being run, what defense, what the other team is doing, I think that helps me stay present so that going in, I know exactly what's going on."
That preparation and energy shows up in small ways on paper that become more evident by taking a bird's eye view of the situation. For example, Grannum averages 1.1 rebounds a game across 62 minutes in her 15 appearances this season. On a per 40-minute basis, that averages to 10.3 rebounds, a higher rebounding rate the Courtney Whitson has on a per-40 basis.
Of course, there's nuance within those numbers. Grannum can afford to play as hard as possible in her short bursts. But that makes her minutes on the court some of MTSU's most impactful.
The high-motor play from a physical post presence can occasionally backfire, like the time Grannum fouled out in five minutes of play against Rice earlier this season. A drawback the team is willing to live with at the moment, so long as the fouls were good fouls the other team had to work to earn, as Matt Insell told Grannum after fouling out that Wednesday evening matchup.
"If she's getting three fouls in two minutes, right now we're not upset because we're telling her to be that," Davis said. "But as she grows, she'll learn how to keep her hands up and time those blocks."
Listed at 6-foot-3, Grannum also knows that she'll likely have a bigger role to play if this team reaches its postseason goals, where the forwards of other teams are likely to be taller than the ones they're used to facing in C-USA.
It's a role that she relishes when her number is called.
"My style of play is different than other posts," Grannum said. "That spark coming off (the bench) can definitely help us, especially when we play teams that have bigger posts, more physical posts.
"That is to come with us in the future. If we want to have a long run, that's what other teams have. I've just embraced my spot and using that (physicality) to help us."
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