On a team that seems tantalizingly close to turning the corner, Perry Grimes is playing an ever-increasing role.
Grimes is a junior shooting guard for Granite City, which was 10-14 overall and 1-11 in the Southwestern Conference heading into Tuesday's home game against East St. Louis.
"Last year we played Perry at point guard, and he did a pretty good job trying to learn that position, but he's more of a two guard," Granite City coach Steve Roustio said. "With Omar Walker rejoining us this year, Perry was able to play the position that's really kind of meant for him. He's a very good shooter -- we like for him to look for his offense, and we like Omar to try to find him."
Sooner or later, Grimes is one of the players Roustio is counting on to turn some of those close conference losses into victories.
"These guys have done a great job of buying into the type of defense that we need to play," Roustio said. "If they didn't, there's no way we would be the second-best defensive team in the conference as far as points allowed.
"We've got to make sure that we don't take off two- or three-minute periods. We're right there and that's basically the only thing we need to clean up."
The Warriors' conference record is a source of frustration for Grimes, but he remains upbeat.
"We've come so far from the past few years," said Grimes, who is averaging 7.7 points. "We were getting blown out by 30 or 40 points and here we are losing to teams like O'Fallon and Collinsville by two and six points.
Despite some disheartening losses, Grimes sees plenty of signs of progress.
"With so many juniors on the team, we're still learning about working together," he said. "I think we have the chemistry we need to succeed.
"We had a rocky start at the beginning. We had a couple guys out with injuries and a couple guys that couldn't play. Toward the end of the season, we've started to realize that we can actually compete with the teams in our conference."
Grimes broke into the varsity lineup as a sophomore, earning a starting spot and averaging 8.7 points. Granite City was 11-16 overall and 1-13 in the SWC, losing to Edwardsville in the first round of the regional.
The Warriors finish the regular season Friday at Belleville East and will face Quincy at 8:10 p.m. Tuesday in the first round of the Class 4A Edwardsville Regional.
"Deep down inside, all the other teams know they can lose against us and that's what most of them are afraid of," Grimes said. "They don't want to be the team that loses to Granite City."
Grimes, who is 6-foot-1 and 165 pounds, began playing basketball in third grade.
"I saw my cousins playing and I wanted to get into it," he said. "My aunt (Billie Thurman) started coaching me in fourth grade at Herbert Hoover Boys & Girls Club (in St. Louis) and she basically taught me everything I know."
During his freshman year, Grimes moved from Hazelwood East to Granite City.
"I played a couple football games there and transferred here in the middle of the season," Grimes said. "I started going to basketball workouts and became a Granite City Warrior."
A wide receiver in football, Grimes has been invited to the University of Illinois football camp combine next month.
"The whole Granite City program -- football, basketball, everything -- is rising," Grimes said. "We didn't lose at home in football this year, and we want to keep that going next year.
"I put more time into football during the offseason and that's probably what I'll play in college. I've gotten e-mails from SEMO (Southeast Missouri State University) and some other schools, so if I can put on a few more pounds and add a little more speed, I can be better for next year."
Before moving on to college, Grimes intends to be part of the continued improvement of Granite City's sports programs.
"Individually, I want to get better grades," Grimes said. "Team-wise, I want us to get farther in the playoffs in football and basketball, (and) I'll play whatever role it takes to get us there."
