John Grant Jr. recently told US Lacrosse Magazine that his heart was still in it. He told the Denver Post not long after that this will “for sure” be his final season.

The 45-year-old’s MLL career — which includes five MLL championships, the league’s points record and more — has been the talk of pro lacrosse since he established himself as one of the elite players in the field game. As a player-coach in his final season, Grant has the opportunity to ensure that his legacy lives on with the Denver Outlaws.

A trio of second-year attackmen have one last chance to learn from their offensive coordinator while he’s also right beside them on the field.

Ryan Lee, Chris Aslanian and Daniel Bucaro comprise one of the most talented young attack lines in Major League Lacrosse. They’ve all learned something from their legendary coach and teammate and will ensure Grant’s influence on the field carries on after he’s retired.

“Having him on the field, just watching him play, he’s such a structured dude,” said Lee, who produced a team-high 46 points (38 goals) as a rookie. “He knows so much about the game of lacrosse and the offense. He’s a great coach, but it’s awesome having him on the field. He can be the lead guy who calls out the plays. He’s like the ultimate captain.”

Lee, a fellow Canadian, appreciates Grant’s box background and approach. The ability to work quickly in smaller, tighter spaces has helped Lee shine through just 11 MLL games. Grant also coached Lee while he was in elementary school and on his travel team.

The initial reaction to Grant’s dual-role was one of scrutiny, but he proved naysayers wrong last season. He scored 21 goals in 14 games and helped develop the league’s next great attackmen.

“It could be a touchy subject [as a player-coach] because they could want to make everything about themselves, but he’s awesome,” Lee said. “He understands what his limits are. He understands when he has to put the ball in another guy’s stick.

“He’s only worried about winning. He’s not worried about his individual stats.”

After US Lacrosse Magazine contributor Phil Shore named Grant the best player in Major League Lacrosse history in May, Grant explained his philosophy behind coaching.

“I’ve attacked coaching the same way I’ve attacked playing,” he said. “I want to be the best, and not for personal gain. I wanted to be the best to help my team win championships. That ‘Uncle Junior’ mentality has translated into coaching.”

Aslanian said that Grant “sees the game develop so much faster than anyone else,” and having that responsiveness on the field as opposed to the sideline makes adjusting that much easier.

Perhaps his proximity to his players is why the Outlaws offense clicked like it did in 2019. Although they fell in the MLL Championship Game to the Chesapeake Bayhawks, the Outlaws return motivated with a similar core. Plus, they’ll add Bucaro, who missed his entire rookie season due to injury.

The nature of the MLL’s 20^th season, which will see the eventual champion play seven games in nine days, lends itself to deep, versatile rosters. Aslanian thinks Denver’s offense can plug and play based on who needs a break or who has the hot hand, and Grant is at the forefront of managing that.

“I think he does an amazing job of balancing playing, winning the game and trying to manage all five other guys on the offensive end,” Aslanian said. “I think it’s probably the hardest thing to do, but he’s always there. He’s such a cerebral player where he can just stop when the game is chaotic and bring us all back together.”

Grant recently joined Peter Milliman’s staff at Johns Hopkins as the offensive coordinator and said that his plan is to move from Denver to the Maryland area. Perhaps conveniently, the entire week-long season will be held at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Md.

In what will be his final go-around in Major League Lacrosse, Grant has his sights set on capturing a championship, one he thought his team was good enough to win in 2019.

There’s an inherent drive to win, but it’s not one that’s been spoken about much in team Zoom calls leading up to training camp on July 16.

“He’s super humble about that, but I think everybody’s pretty aware [this is his last season],” Aslanian said. “I’d certainly love to get a championship for him and for our teammates. He’s just been an incredible leader ever since I got into the league.

“I think he lifts the level of play of all the guys around him.”

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