Grimsley loves the process of becoming better at basketball

BY DANI TIETZ
dani@sjodaily.com

There’s something about the process: a gym, a ball, a hoop and some friends.

This is what Payton Grimsley has enjoyed the most since he was five or six years old.

“Basketball was always something I enjoyed the process of working and practice and trying to get better,” he said. “I’ve always enjoyed that process. I didn’t really see it as practice or work.”

His desire to continue on, working to get better individually was bigger than his self, though.

“I love playing with all of our guys,” he said. “We push each other in practice, we make each other better. We all get at it, and we all play hard, we share the ball, we know how each other plays.”

Grimsley said this may be the secret to the Spartans’ anticipated success this year.

Playing together since they were eight or nine years old, these Spartans have grown up working for and with each other.

“All of us off the court are also friends,” he said. “It’s a lot easier to play together and share the ball, and just kind of work together because we know each other off the court. If we know each other off the court, we know what we will do on the court.”

This was tested this summer as the Spartans faced challenging teams in close games that resulted in both wins and losses.

That competition helped the team work out some kinks that he believes will benefit them during the regular season.

Grimsley hit the court on Friday, contributing 7 points and 2 assists in the Spartans’ 60-37 win over Rantoul.

“I think we play really hard,” he said. “We play together and I think we will be able to find a way to win a lot of games this year.”