Conor Thomas Grace (born 31 January 1982) is an Irish former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player. He previously played for the Irish national team. Grace played rugby in high school, as well as soccer, tennis and track, in addition to basketball. At 14 years old, then 6'4", he caught the eye of Irish under-18 basketball coach, John O'Connor, at a camp. This led to him hooking up with

UCD Marian UCD Marian is an Irish basketball team based in Dublin. The team competes in the Super League and plays its home games at the UCD Sports Centre. The team is a division of UCD Marian Basketball Club and is directly associated with the University ...

to further his development. He later moved to the United States and joined an AAU program. After playing in a tournament in Las Vegas, Grace drew interest from

Southern Utah University Southern Utah University (SUU) is a public university in Cedar City, Utah. Founded in 1897 as a normal school, Southern Utah University now graduates over 1,800 students each year with baccalaureate and graduate degrees from its six colleges. ...

but they didn't have space to offer a scholarship. He instead went to a prep school in Maine,

Bridgton Academy Bridgton Academy is an all-male college preparatory in Bridgton, Maine. Founded in 1808, the school sits at the northern tip of Long Lake in North Bridgton, Maine. The school has been NEASC accredited since 1934, making it one of the oldest accred ...

, and committed to

Davidson College Davidson College is a private liberal arts college in Davidson, North Carolina. It was established in 1837 by the Concord Presbytery and named after Revolutionary War general William Lee Davidson, who was killed at the nearby Battle of Cowan� ...

for the 2001–02 season, a Division I college basketball program.Jump Shots: The long road with Conor Grace
/ref> In 109 games for the Wildcats over four seasons, Grace averaged 6.0 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. As a professional, Grace has played in Italy, France, Finland, Sweden, Greece, the Netherlands, Malaysia, and his home country of Ireland in the

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...

. In 2015–16, he earned Premier League All-Star Third Pick honours while playing for

Templeogue Templeogue () is a southwestern suburb of Dublin in Ireland. It lies between the River Poddle and River Dodder, and is about halfway from Dublin's centre to the mountains to the south. Geography Location The centre of Templeogue is from b ...

, despite undergoing season-ending finger surgery in January 2016.Conor Grace a huge cup sweat as Templeogue face Moycullen test
/ref> Grace is the son of Tom and Anne Grace, and has two sisters, Louise and Caroline. He got his athletic genes from his father, who played rugby for the Irish national team and the British Lions.

References

External links

Eurobasket.com profileRealGM profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grace, Conor 1982 births Living people Davidson Wildcats men's basketball players Ilysiakos B.C. players Irish men's basketball players Norrköping Dolphins players Uppsala Basket players Power forwards (basketball)