for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com february 27, 2014 • The queens Courier 73 sports KEVIN GRANT: ALL-STAR KNICK IN A WHEELCHAIR BY FRED CHERNOW When you think of a player for the New York Knicks you see a tall athlete racing around the basketball court on long legs. “Those are the runnin’-and-jumpin’ Knicks,” according to Kevin Grant of the North Shore Towers in Floral Park. “I’m playing for New York’s Rollin’ Knicks – a wheelchair basketball team sponsored by the Knicks.” While attending Sheepshead Bay High School in Brooklyn, Grant gave no thought to being a basketball player. But he did think of himself as an athlete. “A little football, a little track, the 50-yard dash, relays, anything that involved speed,” he recalled. All this changed shortly after graduation and before he was to start college. While riding in the passenger seat of a car his world turned upside down – in seconds. After a horrendous accident Grant was lucky to be alive, but seriously injured. In an instant, this perfectly agile 19-year-old became a paraplegic – with a spinal cord injury that left him with no voluntary movement in his lower extremities. Fortunately, he had a great support system in his middle-class Canarsie family. His father was a skilled carpenter and his mother a school teacher, and he has two older siblings. All of them rallied around Grant and helped him look forward to a life filled with hope rather than hopelessness. After months of corrective surgery and intense physical therapy, Grant pursued his dream of going to Brooklyn College. This involved taking two city buses each way. Undaunted, he graduated in 1999 with a Bachelor of Science degree. “The school was not nearly as disabled friendly as it is today. When I visited last year I was amazed at all the automatic doors and other amenities that did not exist when I was a student,” he said. Grant went on to New York University to study business administration. But challenges continued in his young life. In 2000, he learned he needed additional surgery to remove bone fragments that had built up around his spinal cord. “This news was hard to take, but I had no choice,” Grant said. “It was difficult, but my faith and my family helped me continue to make something of my life. I did not want sympathy – I wanted success.” He has a catch phrase that stuns his listeners, “Things have a way of working out.” One thing that worked out for Grant was his participation with The New York Rollin’ Knicks, an equally amazing group. Their basketball court is the same size NBA teams play on and the three-point line is just as far away. One difference is that they use a 40-second shot clock. “We have our own community. We’re all friends. We have 12 guys on a team – 24 guys playing the game we love. And we go home happy,” Grant said. Grant participates in weight training and cardio-chair skills three times a week with his trainer. He has two wheelchairs: a game chair and one for everyday use. In 2003, Grant moved into the North Shore Towers, “having fallen in love with the serene feeling of the green golf course, the trees and the landscaping.” “It’s dynamite to have indoor parking. My car has hand devices that allow me to ride around town. There’s a bar for gas and brakes. Press down to accelerate and move it toward the windshield for braking.” Being able to drive his own car makes it possible for him to do his own food shopping. He loves the wide aisles at the local supermarkets and is fond of the fresh produce at Fairway. “I used to eat out a lot but prefer to cook my own meals,” Grant said. “It helps me keep my weight down and I actually enjoy making Italian dishes.” In 2007 with a friend, he developed a partnership and purchased a Subway sandwich shop franchise. Through his determination and great effort this took off and now there are three franchises: one in Brooklyn and two on Staten Island. Things have worked out for this remarkable young man, who is an inspiration to all those with whom he comes in contact. North Shore Towers resident Kevin Grant, right, enjoys playing basketball for The New York Rollin’ Knicks. Photo courtesy Fred Chernow
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