The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

Following her record-breaking season in the junior college ranks, another Bahamian national basketball team member will make the progression to an NCAA Division I programme this fall.

Leashja Grant signed her national letter of intent to officially join the Texas Tech University Red Raiders for the Fall 2015 campaign.

In her sophomore and final season with the Trinity Valley Community College Cardinals, Grant averaged a double double with 12.1 points and 12.9 rebounds per game.

Her highlight of the season came in January when she grabbed 31 rebounds to become the school’s single game leader and broke Portia Hill’s 27-year-old record.

Grant had 19 defensive and 12 offensive rebounds to go along with a team high 24 points to lead the third-ranked Lady Cardinals to a 69-43 win against Coastal Bend Community College.

The 6’2” front court player will add depth and a post presence to a Lady Red Raiders team that missed the NCAA tournament last year.

Tech (15-16) finishes the season just under the postseason qualifying mark of .500.

Grant helped the Cardinals to claim an eighth straight Region XIV championship and national tournament berth. She posted 23 double doubles in 34 games, including six games with at least 18 rebounds or more.

Her season high scoring effort came in January when she totalled 27 points in a 72-66 win over Tyler Junior College in January.

Locally, she is one of a core group of young collegiate players tapped to lead the Bahamas’ path to possible Olympic qualification for the women’s national basketball team at the Tokyo Games in 2020.

Her team fell just short of advancing to the CentroBasket tournament, but at the Caribbean Basketball Confederation Championships last summer in Tortola, British Virgin Islands, the team did defeat the No.37 ranked country in the world, the Dominican Republic.

Grant averaged nine points and nine rebounds in five games of the tournament, in her debut as a member of a senior national team.

Grant is the daughter of longtime CR Walker head basketball coach Trevor Grant.

Her brother, Trevonne Grant, is also a collegiate basketball player at Holland College on Prince Edward Island, Canada.