Grassa assumes leadership role at Salem State

SALEM ? Making the leap from playing basketball at the high school level to the college level is an adjustment for any player. Nick Grassa is no exception.After a successful career at Lynn Classical High before graduating in 2011, Grassa went on to Salem State University. It took him a while to adjust to the college game. But he is now a senior guard for the Vikings and a captain, along with former Salem High standout Bryan Ortiz and Jon Perez of Weymouth.?Everyone is going to come in an accept a smaller role than they’re used to,” Grassa said. “Everyone comes from being a best player in high school. I realized that right away.”As a freshman he got just a few minutes of playing time each game strictly for his shooting. Over the last three years, the 6-foot Grassa has worked to become a much more well-rounded player.?My defense has gotten a lot better, my ball handling going to the basket and my mental ability,” he said.Grassa comes by his love of the game honestly. He and his older brothers, Jasper and Peter, grew up in the Classical High gym watching their father, Classical High boys basketball coach Tom Grassa. All three brothers played for their father at Classical, while Nick and Jasper played together for three years.?Getting to play for my dad, alongside my brother who was one grade ahead, was great,” Grassa said. “My dad has such a passion for (basketball). I can really tell he cares about what he does.”Those pickup games against his brother Jasper, who went on to have an outstanding college basketball career at Bentley University, also helped the youngest Grassa improve his game.?Jasper is a year-and-a-half older than I am,” Nick Grassa said. “I would take most of the losses growing up, but it just made me want to get better, to get to the level of my older brother.?Half the time the games (in the driveway) would end in a fistfight,” Grassa joked.Salem State coach Chris Harvey has been with the program for eight years and has seen Grassa develop as a player and as a team leader.?He’s one of the toughest kids I’ve ever coached,” Harvey said. “Tough in terms of his physical style of play. He’s a coach’s kid and that’s always a bonus. He has a firm understanding of how to play the game.”Harvey said Grassa has matured as a leader, becoming more vocal in helping to bring along the younger players.?He’s come a long way in four years,” Harvey said, noting that Grassa is a prolific three-point shooter who led the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference in that category last year, at 40.3 percent.The Vikings are off to a 3-1 start, while Grassa is averaging 11.5 points per game with his single-game high of 15 points against Trinity College.Salem State plays its home opener Thursday against the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Playing close to home allows his parents, including his mother Lisa Grassa, to attend his games.Grassa, who is majoring in sport and movement science with a concentration in physical education, expects to finish school in December 2015. He said it has hit him that this is his final year playing at the college level and the thought of seeing it come to an end makes him work even harder.?I want to win a conference championship,” he said, adding that the potential is there with seven seniors on the team.?I like the way we’ve been playing lately. I definitely think we can make a run.”