When Marcus Grant began looking for a college to continue his education, and his basketball career, he initially settled on Northwestern University in Chicago as his school of choice.
However, after making a trip to visit Starkville, the MSU campus, and meet with then assistant basketball coach Rick Stansbury, he made the decision to become a Bulldog.
Grant played for Mississippi State from 1991 to 1995, and afterwards spent several years playing professionally in Europe. Even then he spent his summers in Starkville, his wife's hometown, working with the Bulldog basketball camps.
When his playing days ended, the door opened for him to return to his former team as an assistant coach, and he rejoined the Bulldogs in 2004.
"It really is a dream come true," said Grant. "There is just something that makes sense about coming back to your alma mater and being a part of making other kids' basketball dreams become a reality."