The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

DREAMS do come true. Just ask Van Hutchinson Jr.

Hutchinson Jr, the last of the talented group of children of the late Tom ‘the Bird’ Grant, is all scheduled to leave on August 16 for Tonkawa, Oklahoma, where he has secured an athletic scholarship to attend Northern Oklahoma College.

“It’s a great feeling. It was just a long time coming. It’s one of my dreams,” said Hutchinson Jr, who just completed his high school eligibility by leading the CR Walker Knights to the senior boys basketball title in the Government Secondary Schools Sports Association.

“It’s an opportunity that comes at this point and time in my life that I just hope to go out and make the most of it and make myself and my family proud. From I knew myself, I wanted to go off to school and this is my time.”

Following in the footsteps of his father, Van Hutchinson Sr, and his uncles Jeremy Hutchinson and Trevor and Chris ‘the General’ Grant, Hutchinson Jr said he intends to work hard academically and put his best foot forward athletically.

“As an international student going into the school, I just want to be the best, so I intend to work hard,” said Hutchinson Jr, who intends to pursue a degree in aviation management.

“My game is getting better everyday and I’m working on my weaknesses. I’ve finally hit the weight room, so I hope to get bigger and stronger.”

At 6-feet, 4-inches, Hutchinson Jr is a versatile player who can handle the ball and take his man off the dribble as he extends his long reach to the basket. He’s hoping that when he goes to school, he will end up playing between point guard, guard and small forward.

Considered to be the “total package,” Hutchinson Jr said he has patterned his game after a little bit of each of his family members who played ahead of him and, as a result, he feels he has far surpassed what each of them did when they were his age.

“I have the speed and endurance that they don’t have,” he said.

His father, Van Hutchinson Sr, who has been guiding him carefully along the way, has cautioned his son to be a little humble because it’s a totally different ballgame when he gets to Oklahoma.

“First of all, I want to give God thanks for allowing us to get to this point,” the elder Hutchinson said. “It’s been a long time coming. We had a few bumps in the road here and there, but nothing happens before its time.

“I think he have the ability to take it even further than all of us did. He’s starting out at junior college, but he has the ability and the know how to play division one. It’s now all up to him to do it.”

Since his son started to initially play basketball, Hutchinson Sr said he has been encouraging him to maintain his grade point level so that when this opportunity comes along, he will be able to embrace it.

“We would have liked to see him play division one, but he has to get a start somewhere,” Hutchinson Sr said. “I do believe he has the talent and the ability to play division one, so he just has to push himself.”

Hutchinson Sr publicly thanked his brother Trevor Grant, who coached his son during his final two years of high school at CR Walker.

Additionally, he acknowledged the role that coach Darrel Sears from Grand Bahama played in helping to get his son off to school.

“They were a driving force in this dream coming through,” Hutchinson Sr said. “It’s the beginning of a dream. It’s not the complete dream yet. The sky is the limit for him because he has the talent. He can go D1 and even higher. He has the opportunity to play professionally, if he so desires and he pushes himself. With the talent that he has, he can go very far. He has a bit of talent from all of our brothers put together and that is what makes him so special.”

Hutchinson Jr, 19, is following in the footsteps of Hutchinson Sr, who also played junior college in Oklahoma, while Chris Grant played at St Augustine’s College in Raleigh, North Carolina, and Trevor Grant went to Florida Memorial.

Jeremy Hutchinson also played at a junior college but he had the best opportunity out of the crew to play pro ball, but he didn’t take it to the next level.

Hutchinson Jr said he hopes that this will be the beginning of a stage that will enable him to surpass everybody that went before him.

To those who are also looking at fulfilling their dream of playing basketball overseas, Hutchinson Jr told them not to give up because “you will have some ups and downs,” so just “keep your head up high and keep pushing because if it’s for you, you will get it.”

The elder Hutchinson added: “Put God first in everything that you do. With God first, no weapons formed against you will surpass what God has in store for you. Just put God first, believe in Him and He will direct your path and He will bring you through. Without Him, we wouldn’t be where we are today.”

Dreams, according to Hutchinson Jr, do come true.