Jerian Grant No Longer Enrolled at Notre Dame

Dec 21, 2013; New York, NY, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Jerian Grant (22) saves a ball from going out of bounds against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the second half of the Gotham Classic at Madison Square Garden. The Buckeyes won the game 64-61. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Just a day after blowing an eight point lead against No. 3 Ohio State in the final minute of play, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish will be without their leading scorer for the rest of the season.

Senior Jerian Grant is no longer enrolled at Notre Dame due to an academic issue. He was averaging 19 points a game for the Irish.

‘It is with regret and sorrow that I inform you that I am no longer enrolled at the University of Notre Dame due to an academic matter that I did not handle properly,” Grant said in a statement released Sunday. “As a result, I am no longer part of the basketball program and will not be on the court competing with my teammates for the remainder of the 2013-14 season.”

Grant had 18 points against Ohio State on Saturday, and had the last points before the Buckeyes 14-3 run to close out the game started. Grant also had three turnovers in the final minute of play.

Grant stated that he plans to return to Notre Dame in the summer:

“It is my full intention to return to Notre Dame as soon as possible following the 2014 spring semester. I intend to do whatever it takes to earn my degree and finish out my college basketball career here. I understand that there is a process that I must go through in order to come back to school and I will be patient with that process.”

Grant is one of the most underrated guards in the country. Its hard to understate his ability and what he bring to this team. Replacing 19 points a game is certainly difficult and coach Mike Brey will likely have to lean on freshman Demetrius Jackson to fill the production.

Read Grant’s entire statement here.

The Irish are 8-4 this season, but have struggled at times. Two bad losses at home so far, and the recent collapse in New York against the Buckeyes isn’t doing much to inspire confidence in this team. The Irish face Canisius December 29th, and they open up ACC play at home against No. 8 Duke on January 4th.

We’ll have more on this story as it develops.

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