DETROIT (10/30/2024) -- When it comes to playing basketball, no Titan grew up around the game or heard more stories than redshirt freshman Grant Gondrezick II. 

His family not only played basketball, but had tremendous success. His dad, Grant Gondrezick, played college basketball at Pepperdine and then two seasons in the NBA for the Phoenix Suns, while his uncle, Glen, played at UNLV and spent six seasons in the NBA. 

His mom, Lisa Harvey, played college basketball at Louisiana Tech and was on the 1988 NCAA Championship team. His older sister, Kalabrya, played college basketball at Michigan State, while his other sister, Kysre, was Miss Basketball in Michigan, played for Michigan and West Virginia and played in the WNBA.

"I always had a ball in my hand growing up with my father," said Gondrezick II. "I have two older sisters that played. I just remember when I was five or six years old, I was in the gym with them and just watching my dad coach and train them. He threw me in with these heavy balls, and I am trying to dribble them, so those are some of my earliest memories."

Gondrezick II saw firsthand what it took to play at the highest level, and that hard work is something that is being preached right here at Detroit Mercy. 

"Just seeing my sisters' work ethic and how they made it is amazing," said Gondrezick II. "It is no different than what coach Monty tells us. You have to eat, drink and sleep basketball and have a pro mentality. If this is what you want to do, you have to work hard, and I saw that with them."

While his mom and sisters are close role models, he lost his dad in 2021. His dad was a big part of his life and he will never forget the lessons and stories he heard. 

At times, I wonder what he is thinking and what he would tell me," said Gondrezick II. "I miss him a lot, I am named after him, and I want to keep the Gondrezick legend going. I miss him every day."

"He told me a story about Larry Bird. My dad was a big trash-talker, and he was guarding Larry as a rookie. He was talking a lot of smack, and Larry was laughing at him, which made him more mad. He then turned and shot a fadeaway three-pointer and made it. He said he was all in his face and didn't know how he made the shot. Larry was laughing and turned to the coach and said, if you don't get this rookie out of the game, you're going to get fired."

Gondrezick II earned several accolades in high school after scoring nearly 2,000 career points, including 997 as a senior. He was tabbed First Team All-State, committing to Elon out of high school, but opted to come home after his freshman year. 

"I am from Benton Harbor, about two hours from here, so it was close to home," said Gondrezick II. "Detroit Mercy has always been a legendary school, and coach Monty was a big influence on me coming here. He is that father-figure presence. He believes in me and I believe in him and his vision for changing the program around. He wants to build a culture, and I wanted to play for him."

Gondrezick II has been with the team since the summer. Most of the team members have been here too, and he knows that what will make this team succeed is hard work on the court and building team chemistry off of it. 

"We have a great group of guys. I mean just with our coaching staff to everyone on the team. Everyone is dedicated, and everyone works hard. We are a family. We laugh, talk smack, but we are having fun and we need that to help set a culture."