Hailing from American Falls, Idaho, Grant played junior college basketball at Snow College in Utah for Jim Williams, then followed Williams when he became head coach at Colorado State (CSU).
Following his graduation, Grant became coach of Mountain View High School in Wyoming before rejoining Williams at CSU as an assistant in 1961.
He was hired as head coach of the NJCAA's College of Southern Idaho (CSI) in 1974.
His success landed him his first NCAA Division I job in 1977 as Fresno State hired him to replace Ed Gregory.
He coached for four seasons, compiling an 81–46 record and NCAA Tournament appearances in 1989 and 1990.