Leading the team in points, assists, steals and minutes played are just a few of the reasons why senior guard Jeremy Granger is having the best season of his career.

Granger has led Eastern’s men’s basketball team to a 9-7 record overall and a 2-2 record in the Ohio Valley Conference, and his 31-point performance against Southeast Missouri State earns him this week’s Top Cat.

After falling into an early hole, Granger did everything he could to resurrect the Panthers’ struggling offense. He scored 25 of his 31 points in the second half and opened the half making seven consecutive shots. But his and the team’s comeback effort was in vain as they lost their second OVC game of the season, 80-73.

The 31 points marked a career-high for Granger, adding to what has already been his best season as a Panther.

Granger said he contributes the jump in offensive production to his teammates finding him in open space.

“This year my teammates are getting me better looks,” Granger said. “Last year, I had the ball a lot and I had to try and make plays a lot. Where as this year, I am using more screens and things to get me open looks.”

Granger is averaging 17.0 points per game, which is up from 14.3 last season. One reason for the jump in points is he is shooting better from the field. Last season Granger shot 43 percent, while this year he is shooting 47 percent and taking nearly 13 shots per game.

One part of his game that Granger takes a lot of pride in is free throw shooting. Granger is one of the best free throw shooters in the nation at 86 percent this season, and he was even better last year shooting 90 percent on his foul shots.

The Panthers, as a team, are great from the free throw line converting 76.9 percent of their attempts. Eastern is ranked sixth in the nation in free throw percentage this season.

Granger said head coach Mike Miller puts a lot of emphasis on free throws in practice.

“At the end of practice we shoot 10 free throws, and if you miss two you have to do push ups,” Granger said. “We know the importance of free throws because you know you have to make the free ones.”

Granger still leads the team in minutes played; however, his minutes are down compared to last season. This year he is averaging 33.9 minutes per game and last season he averaged 35.4. Granger said the added rest helps him stay fresh.

“I think we are a little deeper this year,” Granger said. “We got guys that can come in and step up off the bench, and I think that is good for me because I stay fresh a little longer during the games.”

Whether it’s having the ball in his hands at the end of the game or making his teammates better through his passing, Granger is a key component to the Panthers’ success this season.

Rob Mortell can be reached at 581-7944 or rdmortell@eiu.edu.