Dec. 10, 2003

BELLINGHAM, Wash. -

by Jim Carberry

When Grant Dykstra speaks about playing through adversity, he is not just another successful athlete tossing away a mindless cliche.

He is a man who has had to live with adversity from the day he was born and has overcome it to be a standout guard on the Western Washington University men's basketball team.

"It's been something that he's had to deal with from a very young age," said coach Brad Jackson. "He's probably always had people say he couldn't do it.

"I'd credit his (Christian) faith, his family and that resolve that he has to achieve what he has. He's never going to quit."

Quitting has never been an option for Dykstra, although no one could blame him if he had given up on his basketball career before it ever started.

From the day he was born, he has lived with the pressure of being the son of Glen Dykstra, one of the best high school basketball players in Whatcom County history. As if being "Glen's boy" wasn't difficult enough, Dykstra attended the same school and played the same position as his celebrated father, who led Lynden Christian High to the 1976 Class A state championship.

But his father's shadow wasn't the only one that Grant lived in. His older sister, Shannon, was a three-time all-state guard for Lynden Christian, winning one basketball and two softball state championships. And his older brother Greg, himself an all-stater in basketball, only won a state championship in football and went on to a record-breaking career at Western. Oh yeah, and both his older siblings were high school valedictorians.

The pressure put on by fans of living up to his family name, however, was never an issue for Grant. In fact, he said, it was his family that helped him overcome the pressure that others put on him.

"Mom and Dad never pressured us to play sports," said Grant. "They always said they loved us for who we were. And Shannon and Greg helped push me to be the best I could."

The family's faith and closeness would be severely tested by the biggest obstacle thrown in young Grant's life.

One day, when he was 2-years-old and playing with his older siblings on the family's dairy farm, his coat accidentally got caught in a grain auger. It started the machine, which pulled his coat and his arm into the rotating metal, slowly mangling and twisting the child's limb.

Only his mother's quick thinking in shutting off the power and the coat itself prevent him from losing his arm or bleeding to death. For more than an hour and a half his father worked to get him out of the machinery. But the nightmare was only beginning.

"They wanted to amputate," his mother, Alice, said of the 13 surgeries that were needed to save his arm. "It was so dirty and with all the grain - they were worried about infection. We were just happy he had his arm."

In all, Grant had 16 surgeries as the doctors later used a technique of sewing his arm to his stomach to graft skin to the injured limb. He also had years of therapy to help the injured right arm and hand gain strength and movement. The memory of the accident has long since faded for Grant, but the full use of his right hand never returned.

It was hard for his parents to see. Glen and Alice recalled the little boy who would follow his father and older brother around to basketball and softball tournaments, who even swept the Tacoma Dome floor at his sister's state tournaments. They knew he wanted to play basketball.

"I just didn't want him to get hurt," said Alice.

But there was no quit in little Grant.

"I loved playing basketball," said Grant, who also was a four-year starter in soccer in high school. "I always wanted to play as far as I could go. Basketball was the sport for me."

They even made sure he understood that there was more to life than playing basketball.

"We told all of our kids, `We don't care what you do, but if you're going to do it, do the best you can,'" said Glen.

And they watched him as he learned to become left handed, as he practiced dribbling with both hands, as he did all that the doctors and therapists ordered.

"Sometimes I would think, 'I can't,'" said Grant, remembering the long days of surgeries and therapy. "But my parents told me, `Don't ever say can't. Just keep working hard. Don't ever stop working hard.'"

The hard work paid off. He became such a good shooter that when he was in middle school and his father's church league team needed an extra player, they recruited him. He was a standout on youth teams, select teams and eventually school teams.

"I've watched him play at every level," said Jackson, whose son Kyle and Grant played together when they were younger and are now good friends and teammates on the Western squad. "He was always the best player. His 'disability' has never been an issue.

"What's so amazing is that people will watch him for several games and then ask me, 'What's wrong with his hand?' They didn't even notice."

What fans, opponents and coaches began to notice, however, was that Grant Dykstra was something special. In high school, he was a rarity - a four-year starter at Lynden Christian, something even his older brother and father did not accomplish.

And while it is impossible to replace the legacy of his father, sister and brother in the high school's history, Grant has found a place that is all his own.

He broke the school record for points, 3-pointers, assists, steals and free throw percentage. He was a two-time all-stater and Class 2A Player of the Year as a senior, led the Lyncs to one state title and a state runner-up finish, and as a freshman played with brother Greg on a squad that took third at state.

Glen Dykstra couldn't be happier that he has gone from "former all-stater" to "Grant's father." "I wish it wouldn't get brought up," he said of his own successes. "I'm more happy for them (his children). They worked hard for it."

Still, the jump from high school to college ball would be the biggest - and no doubt the most difficult - for Grant. Sure, he was 6-foot-4, as athletic as they come with great basketball sense and a shooting touch that was the envy of anybody in the Northwest except perhaps Ray Allen.

But, there was still...

Jackson all but laughs at the idea that any coach would hesitate about having Grant Dykstra on his team.

"We definitely recruited him," said Jackson. "I felt he could come in right away and be a major part of the team. People look at his scoring, but he's a well-rounded player. He can defend bigger guys, smaller guys. He can rebound. He understands the game."

Grant also understood something else: Family is still No.1.

"I just wanted to go to a school close by," said Grant. "We were excited when coach Jackson called."

"We told him to play where he could have fun," said Alice, adding with a smile, "but when he decided to go to Western, our prayers were answered."

If Jackson had any prayers concerning the success of his recruit, they no doubt were answered, too.

After redshirting one year, Grant quickly made his mark. He started all 27 games, averaging 11.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.3 steals. He was among the conference leaders in assists-to-turnover ratio, assists, steals and 3-point percentage.

And, according to Jackson, what set him apart on the court is his competitiveness, which comes out when - surprise! - there is the most adversity.

"He plays his best in the toughest situations," said the coach. "When he meets adversity, you know he's going to handle it."

This year, even more than his freshman season, Dykstra will be called upon to lead the Vikings both physically and emotionally. At 22 and married, he is one of the more mature players, and as a player willing to sacrifice for the team, he is respected by his teammates, said Jackson.

"His character is what stands out," said Jackson. "He's an outstanding student, well-liked by everybody, and you rarely see him without a smile on his face."

With three years ahead of him and many talented teammates around him, Dykstra was not sure what the future holds for the Vikings, but he was truly looking forward to finding out. Yet when asked how he wanted to be remembered whenever his career was over, he didn't take long to answer.

"I want to say that I was fun to watch and that they liked my heart, my desire and hustle," said Dykstra. "And I'd like them to say, `He never quit.'"