John Grant Jr. Returns to Professional Lacrosse
Published on July 13, 2009 under Major League Lacrosse (MLL)
Hamilton Nationals News Release
TORONTO - John Grant Jr. will return to professional lacrosse this weekend in his first game ever with the Toronto Nationals on Saturday July 18th.
Grant, who played his last lacrosse game in August 2008 before undergoing a series of intense knee surgeries over the last year, will return to the professional game this weekend when the Toronto Nationals travel to Long Island to face the Lizards on Saturday at 8:00 p.m. EST.
Nationals head coach Dave Huntley and the team are very excited about Grant's "return to action."
"He has overcome a lot of health challenges over the last year and his remarkable recovery is a testament to his drive and courage," said Huntley. "Junior has been the most dominant offensive player in the game for the last several years. Just when you think you have seen everything a man can do on a lacrosse field he manages to raise the bar yet again."
Grant played in his first lacrosse game since his reconstructive knee surgery in January last Thursday night with his Major Series Lacrosse team, the Peterborough Lakers where he scored three goals and recorded two assists to defeat the St. Regis Indians 16-4.
During a post-game interview with the Peterborough Examiner on July 9th, Grant talked about the emotional evening on the floor.
"There were a lot of people wishing me well and good luck and every time I got (a goal) I welled up," Grant said in an interview with Mike Davies.
Needless to say he's excited about returning to the field this weekend.
"Making a comeback is something that some people said would never happen," said Grant. "But I know deep down that if I work hard enough I can make this comeback successful."
Having played in 61 games during his Major League Lacrosse (MLL) career, Grant has tallied 181 goals including 14 two-point goals, 89 assists, 284 points and collected 94 ground balls.
Grant isn't really feeling any when asked if he felt pressure to go out and score a bunch of goals on Saturday.
"Our team is putting up a lot of points offensively. We have a lot of good guys who are doing a great job on the offensive side of the field; I just hope to contribute to the mix," he said.
"It will take a couple games for me to really get back into things, but I am fortunate to be able to get back into the roster and work out the kinks before playoffs starts," Grant added. "I am going to do what Coach Huntley asks of me and hope I will be able to contribute to this team."
As far as Huntley's expectations for Grant's return to the field this weekend, he says he doesn't have any.
"All I can tell you is that (John) has always exceeded my high expectations of him whenever he plays so I just going to sit back and enjoy the show."
Major League Lacrosse Stories from July 13, 2009
- Lizards Win Infront of 5,221 Fans - New York Lizards
- John Grant Jr. Returns to Professional Lacrosse - Hamilton Nationals
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