Former KU, Schlagle High guard Tyon Grant-Foster declares for 2024 NBA Draft
Former University of Kansas guard Tyon Grant-Foster, who made a remarkable comeback from heart surgery to average 20.1 points and 6.1 rebounds as a senior at Grand Canyon University this past season, on Monday entered his name in the 2024 NBA Draft.
Grant-Foster, the Western Athletic Conference player of the year out of Kansas City’s Schlagle High School, would be eligible for a super senior-season if he elected to take an extra year of college eligibility.
“After speaking with my family and coaches, I’ve decided to pursue my life-long dream of playing in the NBA,” Grant-Foster said in a post on the social media site X, formerly Twitter.
“It is time to take the next step in my journey and continue to write my story. It’s been a long journey and I want to say thank you to GCU and everybody who has been part of it. Lopes Up!” he wrote.
Grant-Foster — he played at KU during the 2020-21 season after starting his college career at Indian Hills Community College — averaged 3.1 points a game as a Jayhawk in limited duty, then transferred to DePaul for the 2021-22 season.
He played in just one game because of a serious heart condition that ultimately required a pair of surgeries. He spent about 16 months away from the game before getting cleared to play basketball in March of 2023.
He was an instant sensation after transferring to Grand Canyon, leading the Antelopes to their third trip to the NCAA Tournament in school history.
Grant-Foster, who turned 24 on March 5, scored 22 points in a 75-66 first-round tourney victory over Saint Mary’s. Grant-Foster had 29 points and eight rebounds in a 72-61 Round of 32 loss to Alabama.
The 30-5 Lopes claimed the most victories in GCU’s 11-year history as a Div. I program.
“You never question God’s path he has for you because everyone’s path is different,” Grant-Foster told the Associated Press after a regular-season victory over No. 25-ranked San Diego State — the program’s first win against a ranked opponent.
“So just because my path is hard and different from other people,” Grant-Foster continued, ”it doesn’t mean that it’s less important or mean that you give up. I had hard times, but it’s what makes me who I am today. Just because of what I went through it gives me a little bit more of an edge. I had to sit out for 16 months. So it just gives me that edge to play a little bit harder on defense, and really help my teammates out.”
He made the best of a scary situation during his 16 months on the sidelines.
“My faith got really strong,” he told azcentral.com. “I felt like I became a better basketball player just IQ-wise, just watching the game a whole lot. Being around it and not playing, you learn so much more. You see stuff you usually don’t see on the court.”
Of his comeback, he added: “It’s really gratifying. As far as proving to me, it was something I’ve always known since I was younger that I could do certain things. But at this moment right now, everybody else is getting to see it. So that’s really gratifying, because everything that I’ve been through is finally here. It’s kind of a surreal feeling.”
Of Grant-Foster, GCU coach Bryce Drew said: “He’s a very gifted basketball player and has raised the level of our team, given us an elite scoring option. The thing that we have really enjoyed is just his appreciation for the game and just the joy he brings just in life in general.”
