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By Aaron Blankenship | Photos courtesy of Tessa Grady

Before Tessa Grady plays basketball, her father always reminds her to “play hard and have fun.”

The Dublin Coffman junior is the first to admit she used to take that simple message for granted.

But after Rob Grady survived a near-death experience during one of her basketball games about 16 months ago, Tessa said her father has become an even bigger part of what inspires her to give her best effort every game.

That work ethic has paid off for Tessa, as she’s developed into one of the best all-around players in Ohio. As a junior, Grady is averaging 14 points, three rebounds, one steal and one blocked shot for the Shamrocks, who are 20-1 overall and ranked No. 4 in the all-classification SBLive Ohio Top 25.

“I’ve always been really close with my dad, but when I was scared I was going to lose him, it was the biggest wake-up call, and now I value him more every day,” Tessa said. “Before every single one of my games, as far back as I can remember, he tells me to play hard and have fun. I’ve always listened to him, but now those words are way more powerful for me, and I play my best for him every day and in every game.”

Rob’s life-threatening emergency occurred in August 2020 when he and his wife, Keyburn, were in Indianapolis watching Tessa compete for the SMAC basketball squad in an AAU tournament.

While traveling down an elevator at the Hyatt Regency on his way to watch Tessa play, Rob passed out and went into cardiac arrest. The lack of blood flow to the brain and other organs can cause a person to lose consciousness, become disabled or die if not treated immediately.

Fortunately, Scott Noerr was on the elevator with Rob, and when it got to the ground floor, he cried out for help, gaining the attention of police officer Jim Kohler and the hotel’s front desk manager, Dan Blanchette.

Both men rushed to Rob’s aid, and Blanchette began administering CPR before using automated external defibrillators to revive him until paramedics arrived to take him to the emergency room.

“Dan saved Rob’s life, and we will forever be grateful to him,” Keyburn said. “Jim was a rock star in that moment, too, especially with the way he calmed me down in one of the scariest moments of our lives.”

Meanwhile, Tessa was concerned when she noticed her parents weren’t in the stands that day, but she stayed focused and scored 21 points to help SMAC win its championship game.

“When I got the phone call (from my mom) about what happened to my dad after the game, I was shocked, and then I broke down because they weren’t sure if he was going to pull through,” Tessa said. “He was in the hospital a total of 11 days, and his doctors were absolutely shocked with his recovery because they weren’t sure at first if he was going to make it.

“This created a lot of anxiety for me, because I love my family very much, and when I would look up in the stands and not see my parents right away, I would get worried.

“My dad’s been though a lot. He also survived (stage four) cancer and went through chemotherapy for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma when I was younger, so I’m very grateful to have him in my life.”

Tessa credits her entire family with playing a major role in helping her develop into one of the most sought-after junior basketball recruits in Ohio. The 6-foot-2 wing had nine Division I college scholarship offers before making a verbal commitment Saturday to play for Wisconsin.

Basketball bloodlines

Keyburn, who played basketball at the University of Massachusetts from 1987-91, taught her daughter the game’s fundamentals at a young age.

She also worked as a sales executive for the Minnesota Timberwolves (1991-92) and as the manager of game-night promotions for the Chicago Bulls (1992-95), before starting up a sports marketing company (Paragon Marketing Group) in 1995.

Keyburn, who earned an NBA championship ring while working for the Michael Jordan-led Bulls in 1993, now works for Dublin City Schools as director of alumni relations and development.

“I’m insanely proud of my daughter,” said Keyburn, who was Miss Massachusetts as a high school senior in 1987 and was inducted into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019. “Tessa can do things with a basketball that I could only dream of.”

Tessa also learned a lot by watching and emulating her older brothers, Griffin and Trevor, who played varsity basketball at Coffman.

Griffin, a 2016 Coffman graduate, played linebacker for Wisconsin from 2016-19.

Trevor, a 2018 Coffman graduate, had opportunities to play Division II college basketball but chose to focus on academics at Penn State, where he is studying to become a sports broadcaster.

Tessa-Grady-family

“Both of my parents were a huge help, giving me lots of coaching tips,” Tessa said. “My brothers helped me, too, because they all love basketball and have supported me.”

But Tessa credits Coffman boys basketball assistant coach Tyrel Jackson for helping her transition from being a post player into a versatile wing capable of dribbling the length of the court and making shots from the perimeter.

Jackson, a 2013 Coffman graduate, played basketball at Capital University from 2013-17.

“Tyrel taught me how to bring the ball up the court and taught me moves that have become natural to me,” Tessa said. “I was absolutely horrible at shooting 3s before I started training with Tyrel, and now that’s one of the best aspects of my game, along with getting out in transition.”

'A matchup nightmare'

Tessa started as a wing for Coffman as a freshman, when she averaged 10 points per game.

As a sophomore, Tessa averaged 11.5 points and was named first-team all-Ohio Capital Conference-Central Division and third-team all-district.

She helped the Shamrocks win league and district championships that season, before Coffman defeated Reynoldsburg 60-57 in a regional semifinal and lost to eventual state runner-up Newark 75-73 in a regional final.

“She’s a really good player,” Reynoldsburg coach Jack Purtell said. “She’s long and very skilled. We noticed her as a freshman, and she was a hard matchup for us in the tournament last year.”

Tessa has emerged as an even stronger all-around player as a junior, making 41 percent of her 3-point attempts and 75 percent of her free throws, while playing strong defense.

“She’s a matchup nightmare, because she’s 4 or 5 inches taller than most guards and she can shoot over or drive past most post players,” Coffman coach Adam Banks said. “She’s learned to handle the ball in high-pressure situations, and she’s one of the better shooters on our team.”

Tessa-Grady-shooting

Despite having superior basketball skills, Banks said Tessa has a team-first mentality.

She delayed announcing her commitment to Wisconsin for six days because she didn’t want to take any of the spotlight away from Coffman’s seven seniors during the Shamrocks’ senior week.

“Tessa’s selfless, and she doesn’t care if she scores two points or 20 points as long as our team wins,” Banks said. “She’s always smiling, and she’s very caring. She loves her teammates, and the entire team loves her.”

Tessa helped lead Coffman to a 10-0 mark in the OCC-Central this season, as the Shamrocks captured their seventh consecutive league title, even after standout junior guard Jenna Kopyar suffered a season-ending injury in late December.

Senior point guard Taylor Covington, an Indiana Tech recruit, said Tessa played a big role in filling the void in scoring and ball-handling created by the loss of Kopyar, another Division I college recruit.

“Tessa’s helped a ton by stepping up more than she has in the past, especially with Jenna out,” Covington said. “She’s more confident in her moves and the shots she takes. She’s a lot more vocal, too. Anytime someone makes a basket and gets fouled, she runs in and screams ‘And-1’ or ‘Let’s go,’ which is fun.”

The second-seeded Shamrocks will open the district tournament Saturday at home against 30th-seeded Groveport.

“Our goal is to win a state championship,” Grady said. “The seven seniors on this team are my best friends, and we’re looking to make their last season here special.”

Tessa, who has a cumulative 3.5 grade point average, plans to major in criminal justice or criminology at Wisconsin.

“I’m super intrigued with crime shows and murder mysteries, and I have an uncle who is a cop, so I’d like to be a detective or work for the FBI,” Tessa said.

As for playing basketball at Wisconsin, Tessa said she is hoping to make her entire family proud, especially her father, who continues to motivate her.

“I saw Griffin go through the recruiting process, and I dreamed that it would happen for me someday as well,” Tessa said. “I’ve always loved the campus and environment at Wisconsin, and I love the staff and the girls on the team who I met there, so it was an easy decision after I took my first visit.

“My dad has been a huge help with school and the whole college recruiting process. He’s always teaching me new things, and he’s been such a huge supporter of mine. When (his cardiac arrest) happened, it just made me want to play basketball in college even more, and I’m grateful that I’m getting to share these experiences with my entire family.”

Tessa-Grady-and-Dad