A few weeks after graduating from Prolific Prep, Winters Grady found himself 2,300 miles from home, learning the intricacies of Dusty May’s spacing-heavy offense at 7 a.m. workouts in Ann Arbor. The 6-foot-6 freshman from Oregon isn’t just trying to survive his first college summer—he’s already speaking the language of analytics, roles and efficiency like a college veteran.
With summer workouts coming to a close, the four-star incoming freshman joined Defend the Block to share an update on his offseason progress.
Grady’s career has primarily been defined by his ability to play different roles and adjust to differing team dynamics. He was a big-time scorer as a young player in Oregon before transferring to Prolific Prep. Once there, he played with a roster that featured AJ Dybantsa and Tyran Stokes.
With two five-star prospects and only one basketball in the gym, Grady quickly learned how to play a role and help his team win games. From there, he rebuilt his game to take on larger scoring burdens and emerged as a breakout player on the grassroots circuit as a senior.
That process of learning how to thrive without the basketball, impact winning, and embrace a defined role is something that many freshmen lack when they first arrive on campus.
“I think the biggest part will just be able to know my role, knowing how to impact winning within that role,” he said. “And still knowing that you’re a super important piece of the team. Every single person plays their role, and every single person is just as important as the next. Everybody needs their role, everybody needs it to win.”
Dusty May Promo!
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