Grant, Travis "The Machine"
(born: 1950)Travis Grant was born in Clayton, AL, and played basketball at Barbour County High School. He played college ball at Kentucky State University, where he led the team to three consecutive NAIA Championships: 1970, 1971, and 1972. He led the team in scoring his freshman year in 1969. The teams were coached by Lucias Mitchell.
ESPN journalist Mary Buckheit referred to Grant as the "most prolific scorer in college basketball history." Grant has won a number of awards and holds the NCAA All-Divisions all-time record for field goals in a career (1,760). He also held NAIA records for Career Points Average (33.4) and is fourth on the NCAA All-Divisions list for total points in a season with 1,304 points. He is 11th for single-season average with 39.5 points, in 1972. In a game against Northwood, Travis Grant scored 75 points.
Grant was selected first round, 13th pick, by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1972 NBA Draft. He played four seasons in both the NBA and the ABA, averaging 15.7 points per game. During the 1973-74 season, he averaged 25.2 points per game while playing for the San Diego Conquistadors.
in 2009, Travis Grant was inducted into the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame and into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in Kansas City, MO.
After his basketball career, Grant became a high school teacher and coach, and in 2008 he was an assistant principal and athletic director at Stephenson High School in Atlanta, GA.
For additional information see "College basketball's all-time scorer lives in obscurity," by M. Buckheit, 2/22/08, at ESPN.com; M. Story, "A man, a machine and a champion - in 1971, KSU's Grant played on arguably the best team in KY," Lexington Herald-Leader, 4/26/2009, Sports section, p. B2; and Travis Grant in Basketball, by D. L. Porter.
This entry was submitted by Lacy L. Rice, Jr.
