"WHEN MEGAN GRANT sits in the front row of her Intro to Gender Studies class at UCLA, she's enjoying the only rest she'll get all day. It's game day for the UCLA women's basketball team. Grant has 10 hours until she'll take the court for the Bruins. But before putting on her basketball jersey, the UCLA dual athlete will have weight training, class and softball practice. The senior softball star has a career .727 slugging percentage, .978 fielding percentage and earned the Big Ten single-season record for home runs with 26 in 2025."
"Everyone around Grant, including the softball coaching staff, knew that she loved basketball and dreamed of somehow playing the sport she'd given up after high school again. So, when UCLA women's basketball head coach Cori Close needed to fill a roster spot with a practice player who could add to the culture of the team, UCLA softball head coach Kelly Inouye-Perez and her coaching staff started concocting a plan for Grant. The softball coaches thought basketball training could help Grant become faster, gain speed and get into great shape for softball season. And Close thought that Grant was just the type of personality who could inject new energy and perspective into her team. It was an unconventional plan that required a lot of coordination. But both coaches believed it would benefit both programs."
Megan Grant balances classes, weight training, softball practice, and basketball commitments as a UCLA dual-sport athlete with long, demanding days. Grant compiled a .727 slugging percentage, .978 fielding percentage, and set the Big Ten single-season home run record with 26 in 2025. Softball coaches coordinated with the basketball program to add Grant as a practice player to improve her speed, conditioning, and overall athleticism. Basketball coach Cori Close sought Grant for her personality and potential cultural impact. The plan required significant coordination but aimed to benefit both softball and basketball programs.
Read at ESPN.com
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