Dantwan Grimes signs deal with Baylor for basketball

Dantwan Grimes had just ended a tremendously successful second season at Kilgore College, averaging 14.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 3.2 assists for a 31-3 team, but uncertainty had started to sneak in.

“I started to think that it was never going to happen for me,” Grimes, a Vanguard alum, said about signing a national letter of intent with a Division I basketball program. “But I stayed positive, hoping and believing everything would pan out.”

When he received a scholarship offer from 2020-21 NCAA champion Baylor last week, it all worked out. He pledged his allegiance to the Bears on Monday night and stated that he would join with coach Scott Drew’s squad on Tuesday.

Grimes played two seasons for Kilgore College

“They are very family-oriented,” said Grimes, who added he selected BU over a few mid-major offers. “They made me feel like I was part of their family.

“Baylor is going to help me grow on and off the court.”

Before graduation in 2019, Grimes averaged 16.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.8 steals in 37 games for VHS. He subsequently spent a year at Pro Holmes Sports Academy before signing with Kilgore Junior College, where he averaged 12.2 points as a freshman.

Grimes, who graduated from Vanguard with a 6-foot-1, 160-pound frame, has gained muscle in the three years afterwards and currently stands at 6-2, 190 pounds. He believes his style of play will complement the Bears’ style of play.

“Very physical and competitive,” said Grimes, who also improved his free throw percentage from 68.4 in the 2020-21 season to 81.3 in 2021-22. “I love it.”

Grimes said he visits Ocala in the summer and throughout the holidays. His best memories of being a Knight are of home games when “the city would come out to watch us play,” he recalled.

He acknowledges that the road to realising his dream has been meandering rather than straight, and he encourages other sportsmen on a similar path to work hard and be patient.

“My advice is to trust the process,” Grimes said. “There are going to be days when you feel like it’s not going to work out, but hang in there and trust the process.

“Just keep believing.”

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