Tabor's Grace commits to Yale

By: John Dell | Winston-Salem Journal
Published: September 26, 2008

Point guard Mike Grace of Mount Tabor has committed to play basketball at Yale University.

Grace, a 6-foot senior who averaged 16.4 points a game last season, made his decision today.

"After my visit this past weekend, I knew Yale was the place for me," Grace said in a statement. "It provides the excellent education and athletic environment that I was looking for in a school."

Grace, a member of last year's All-Northwest team as selected by the Journal, was also being recruited by several other schools including Colgate, Harvard, Davidson, Buffalo, Penn, Rice, Dartmouth and Cornell.

One of the reasons Grace decided to commit was so he could concentrate on his school work and his final season for the Spartans.

Grace also averaged 6.7 assists, three rebounds and 2.8 steals a game for the Spartans last season. Grace led a balanced team that went 26-4 last season and advanced to the quarterfinals of the state playoffs.

Grace has been a three-year starter for Coach Andy Muse.

"Mike Grace just made one of the best decisions of his young life," Muse said. "He has a tremendous work ethic and athletic ability that helped him take his game on the court and in the classroom to the next level.

"Mike's biggest asset is his ability to be a leader."

Muse said that Grace had visits to Penn and Harvard, but decided Yale was the place for him.

"I think the thing people don't see about Mike is what he does off the court in talking with our younger players whether it be how to act in the hallways or going to workouts and being on time," Muse said. "He's a special individual and I think Yale is going to be perfect for him."

Grace's backcourt mate, senior C.J. Harris, has already committed to Wake Forest.

Muse said that Grace has a 4.2 grade point average and is a member of the national honor society.

"He wanted to go to an academic institution that would help him down the line," Muse said. "So he's excited about his decision."

Grace was all-conference last season and made the all-tournament team. He also helped Mount Tabor win the Frank Spencer Holiday Classic.

"It is great to get this out of the way so I can focus on my studies and Mount Tabor basketball," Grace said.

• John Dell can be reached at 727-4081 or at jdell@wsjournal.com.