Former Dexter girls basketball star Grant to play at New Hampshire prep school
By Larry Mahoney, Bangor Daily News Staff
Former Dexter Regional High School standout point guard Peyton Grant, a Bangor Daily News All-Maine State Schoolgirl Basketball third team selection two years ago, has decided to attend New Hampton School, a prep school in New Hampton, New Hampshire.
Grant is a three-time BDN Class C North All-Tournament Team selection.
“It’s going to be a great experience,” Grant said. “There weren’t a whole lot of [college] opportunities after last summer because we didn’t have any AAU [basketball].”
This past season, she led Dexter to the Penquis League North title as teams were forced to play schools within their proximity due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There were no regional tournaments or state championship games and no All-Maine team.
PREPARING FOR COLLEGE — Driving to the basket is Dexter’s Peyton Grant, right, while defended by a Central Aroostook player during a February 2020 Class C North semifinal game at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor. Grant will continue her basketball career at the New Hampton School in New Hampshire.
The 5-foot-6 Grant said she talked to a few colleges in Maine that offered nursing and had good basketball programs, but there was a lot of uncertainty with the rosters.
Her father, Dexter High and AAU coach Jody Grant, explained that because student-athletes weren’t docked a year of eligibility this past season due to the pandemic, roster spots for this coming season were up in the air.
Players who would have used up their eligibility could return for a final year.
Grant, who reached the 1,000-point plateau late in her junior season at Dexter, averaged 27.5 points, 3.7 steals, 3.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists during the abbreviated 2020-21 season and concluded her career with 1,531 points including 258 3-pointers.
Grant spent four days at New Hampton’s basketball camp last week and was impressed.
“They have a great group of girls and a great coach. It’s going to be a lot of fun,” Grant said.
New Hampton coach Jamie Sherburne was a three-year starter at Division I Niagara University in New York. She was a point guard and graduated in 2018.
“After we picked [Peyton] up, [New Hampton] was all she talked about on the way home. That was good enough for me,” Jody Grant said.
Jody Grant said the prep school idea was initiated last fall.
Former Bowdoin College coach Adrienne Shibles, who was named the head coach at Dartmouth College in May, mentioned it to Jody Grant.
Peyton Grant, who is also an outstanding soccer and softball player, said she will be getting some financial help from the school.
And she is looking to improve in all areas as she looks ahead to playing college basketball in 2022-23.
“I’d like to become stronger and quicker. And do more off the ball than I have in the past few years, like play off screens,” Grant said.