From overlooked to D2 All-American to Shocker, Qua Grant’s path to Wichita State
Like many of the recent great Wichita State men’s basketball players, Qua Grant’s journey in becoming a Shocker involves him being under-recruited and overlooked.
Coming out of Waxahachie High School in 2018, Grant did not have a single Division I scholarship offer despite being the do-everything guard for his high school team and helping his AAU team become the first Texas squad to win the Adidas Gauntlet.
“If I could give you the answer for why then I would tell you,” Grant said. “But I honestly don’t know why. All I know is God doesn’t make mistakes.”
After three seasons at West Texas A&M, where he became a two-time first-team All-American and led the Buffaloes to an 85-8 record and three straight trips to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight, Grant announced on Tuesday evening that he plans to transfer to Wichita State for his final two college seasons. He told The Eagle he picked WSU over Texas A&M, Texas Tech and Missouri, among other finalists.
His former high school believes WSU might have found its next great player in Grant, a 6-foot-1 junior guard who averaged 22.4 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.0 steals and led West Texas A&M to the Division II national championship game this past season.
“The more you doubt him, the better he plays,” said Waxahachie coach Greg Gober. “You look at him and you think, ‘This guy isn’t athletic.’ But how does he win? Why is he always beating guys? He was beating guys who were going to KU and Texas and all of these high-end recruits in high school.
“It’s really a compliment to him for sticking with it, fighting through and proving people wrong. What he did was bet on himself. He didn’t bet on somebody else doing something for him. He bet on himself and he got it done.”
Grant is WSU’s second commitment in its 2021 recruiting class, joining 6-foot-10 sophomore center Matthew McFarlane. Once both players join the team, the Shockers will have four scholarships remaining to complete their 2021-22 roster.
A magnet for winning, Grant is also a proven scorer at the Division II level. He averaged 14.9 points as a freshman while earning Lone Star Conference Freshman of the Year honors, then followed that up by averaging 20.7 and 22.4 points in his sophomore and junior seasons. And he’s done so in an extremely efficient manner for a 6-1 guard, as his career field goal percentage is 49.8% and he’s never finished below the 75th percentile on Synergy for offensive efficiency in a season.
Grant showed the full extent of his potential in the game that punched West Texas A&M’s ticket back to the Elite Eight when he scored a career-high 40 points on 12 of 22 shooting, including seven three-pointers.
A ready-to-go scorer with a winning mentality and tenacious playing style is what WSU head coach Isaac Brown hopes Qua (rhymes with Trey) Grant can give the Shockers next season. He’s been that type of player the last three seasons for West Texas A&M coach Tom Brown, who believes Grant’s success will translate to the American Athletic Conference.
“If you give him some freedoms and let him play his game, then Qua can be pretty special,” Brown said. “He’s got a lot of natural ability. He’s a very strong player. He’s got strong hands and he’s got great instincts. If you get up on him, he can go by you. And when he’s knocking down his shots, he’s really tough to guard. He got a lot better in his three years here and I’m excited to see him go prove himself at Wichita State and I’m hoping he’ll be an All-American there as well.”
Grant’s versatility on both ends is seen as a major plus by WSU’s coaches. Although he is just 6-1, Grant is solidly put together and plays bigger than his size, especially on the defensive end. It’s why he was able to average 7.7 rebounds in the last two seasons at West Texas A&M. He was named to the conference all-defensive team the last two seasons, thanks to quick feet, quicker hands and a sturdy frame that proved difficult for opposing guards or forwards to get around.
The same flexibility in Grant’s game can be found on the offensive end, as he could thrive as the point guard in WSU’s ball screen offense or play alongside other guards like Craig Porter and Tyson Etienne in an off-ball role. Scoring as the off-guard is what he did best at West Texas A&M, although his Synergy numbers show he was a terror for defenses to defend in the pick-and-roll game, something that could be enhanced even further in his WSU career.
“I can play point guard and I can play off the ball,” Grant said. “It really doesn’t matter to me. I’m just going to do what it takes to win.”
There will be a natural question of how Grant’s scoring prowess will translate to the Division I level. He made it look easy in West Texas, but the guards in the American will be quicker and longer and the centers waiting to challenge shots at the rim will be bigger, more athletic and longer as well. Can he do it at a higher level?
That’s the question he’s been hearing his entire career. Every time he’s doubted, Grant has triumphed.
“I am definitely the underdog,” Grant said. “A lot of people have doubted me and it’s just kept putting a chip on my shoulder. There were a lot of times where I had to keep grinding and just find a way. Things played out how they played out and here we are.”
Back in 2018, Division I coaches were more concerned with how Grant looked — a little undersized, a little stocky — rather than how he played — a bucket-getter and a winner.
Gober, Grant’s former high school coach, was happy to see WSU, led by assistant coach Lou Gudino, value him as the coveted player he believes Grant to be in the recruiting process this time around.
“So many people judge kids on their measurables,” Gober said. “How tall is he? What’s their reach? What’s his vertical? They evaluate players way too much on just that. Qua might not look like the prototypical guard, but the bottom line is he is a great basketball player. When he’s been given the opportunity, he’s proven it against anybody he’s played against.
“He’s going to become a fan favorite at Wichita State because of the way he plays. And his demeanor. He’s always been a kid who just finds a way to win. He wins the room. He wins the fans. He wins everywhere he goes on the court. Wherever he goes, people always become Qua fans.”
Grant specified on what made WSU stood out from the competition of other high-major programs in his home state of Texas.
“Definitely their playing style and the coaching staff played a big factor and then just going to a winning situation,” Grant said. “I can compete for championships becuase they have some great players who are coming back. I want to do whatever it takes to win, rebounding, passing, scoring, it really doesn’t matter. I liked how genuine (Isaac Brown) was. He kept it real straight-up with me and told me what it is and what it isn’t. I appreciated that and that’s why Wichita State was a great fit for me.”
And if Tom Brown gets his wish, Grant could be playing his former teammates this fall.
“Qua promised me whoever he signed with would play us in an exhibition game, so I’m looking forward to that and hopefully a big pay day coming from Wichita State,” Brown joked. “That’s something we would love to set up. Qua is a special kid. He’ll always be a Buffalo at WT and he’ll always be one of the best players to go through our program.”
This story was originally published April 14, 2021 at 6:00 AM.
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