At Columbia, transfer athletes fill crucial roles

Last Thursday night, I interviewed Brian Grimes moments after his 21 points propelled the Lions to a 75-70 win over Lehigh. I used the opportunity to ask Grimes, a front-court player for the Lions, about his perimeter jump shot, a weapon he showcased that night, going 9 for 16 from the field.

Interestingly, Grimes told me that the outside jumper has always been a part of his game and that the perimeter shot attempts will continue as he regains his touch and confidence over the course of the season.

The statement should come as good news for Columbia fans, who saw Grimes play home at Levien for just the third time of his career that night against Lehigh. But the fact that the junior forward’s jump shot is news at all highlights a peculiar dynamic of college sports particularly prevalent lately in Morningside Heights.

Grimes, a transfer from LaSalle, sat out the 2007-2008 season and missed all of 2008-2009 due to injury leading up to this year. His potential has been a talking point amongst Columbia fans for years now, and he has flashed that talent early this season, averaging 10.6 points and 7.7 rebounds so far. Grimes recently started the first game of his CU career, and is already an integral performer and leader on the team.

Yet we know so little about his game, and there are many questions left to find out. Will the jumper still be around during Ivy play? How will the body (especially the surgically repaired knee) hold up over the course of the schedule? Will fellow junior transfer Max Craig make an impact when healthy?

Craig, a seven-foot center from Montreal, has not played yet this season due to injury, but is expected to be healthy in time for Ivy play. His transfer from Loyola Marymount was not as hyped as Grimes’ arrival, but I think he could very well become a factor down the stretch this year.

I just don’t know. Such is life right now for the Lions, who are not alone at Columbia when it comes using transfer players in crucial roles.

Last season, then-junior and Temple transfer Shane Kelly was given the nod at quarterback over M.A. Olawale in the football team’s training camp. Kelly, a first time starter, went 0-5 before Olawale replaced him and led the Lions to their first win of the season over Dartmouth. Needless to say, Columbia fans are hoping Grimes has slightly more success.

The baseball team also welcomes in a potentially important transfer this season in junior Alex Godshall. Last season, Godshall played at Sante Fe College in Gainesville, Florida, where his Saints captured the Florida State Junior College championship. If head coach Brett Boretti decides to move strong-armed Alex Ferrera to third base to replace the graduated Mike Roberts, Godshall could very well become the next Lions shortstop despite the fact that no one on campus has seen him field a ground ball.

I am not suggesting that transfers are unique to Columbia. Off the top of my head, I know that two of the starting quarterbacks in the SEC this season were transfers (Mallett, Snead). Transfers actually have particular potential at a school like Columbia, where disgruntled players from bigger programs could, in theory, dominate the Ancient Eight at a school that often has trouble recruiting size and skill at vital positions. This is why we see have recently seen transfer players brought in at meaningful spots like quarterback, power forward, and middle infield.

Unfortunately, placing a new player at a crucial position is not a refined science. Grimes has looked solid to start the season, and has seven more games to get his health, rhythm, and confidence fully restored before the start of the Ivy League slate. But he is clearly not quite all the way back yet, as he shot just 1-12 from the field in Saturday’s frustrating loss at Stony Brook which sent the team to 3-4. Columbia scored only 60 points in that game, making them 0-4 when failing to score at least 65 points this season. Last year, the Lions went 8-2 when they scored 65 or more, and have scored over 70 in all three wins so far this campaign.

With Grimes averaging just over ten points per game, the Lions are at a turning point in their season. His scoring output has effectively replaced the presence of graduated big man Jason Miller, and Noruwa Agho’s bump in point production has the Lion offense looking lively. Columbia is already scoring about four points per game more than the squad did last season, and this collective scoring average is indicative of where the Lions currently sit.

The team is averaging exactly 64 points per game so far this year, just shy of a mark that, according to history, could lead to increased success for the Lions. Come Ivy season, Columbia may need only to find a few baskets more per game to challenge the cream of the league, and they need to look no farther than their two transfer big men.

Grimes has already shown the ability to get quality looks in the post, and he should get more comfortable scoring as the season continues. Then there’s Craig, a giant still mostly unknown to the Columbia sports community, but somebody who looks clearly physically capable of finishing two to three lay-ups, or even dunks, per game.

If Columbia gets the most out of its transfer forwards down the stretch, the Lions could finally eclipse the .500 mark in the Ivy League. But with just three career home games between Grimes and Craig to date, a more specific prediction is, at this point, too difficult to make.