Head coach Joe DeSantis and the Quinnipiac men’s basketball team were more than happy to announce the return of former star guard Jared Grasso.

Grasso was named assistant men’s basketball coach after the departure of Bill Romano, who took a job in the admissions department at Quinnipiac.

Grasso, a 2002 alumnus, was a four-year starter and two-time captain who put the Bobcats on the map his senior season.

Since his legendary career as a player, Grasso has been eating, sleeping and breathing basketball.

He returns to his alma mater after serving as an assistant coach at the University of Hartford for two years. During his stay at Hartford, Grasso helped drive the Hawks to two America East tournament appearances in addition to a conference semifinals appearance.

After graduating, Grasso landed a job as a graduate assistant at Division I Hofstra University.

Grasso, like Romano, hit the 1,000-point milestone as a player. He currently ranks 22nd on the program’s all-time leading scoring list with 1,134 points and is fifth on the all-time leading assists list with 404. The former three-point assassin is also fourth in the record books with 216 three-point field goals.

In 2002, Grasso’s 11.3 points per game and 88 assists guided the team to its first-ever NEC playoff appearance, where its magical run nearly landed Quinnipiac a spot in the NCAA tournament. After upsetting No. 2 seeded Wagner and No. 3 seeded Maryland-Baltimore County, the Bobcats fell short to Central Connecticut State University in a nationally televised NEC championship game.

Although the team could not deliver a championship (which would have led to a berth in the NCAA tournament), Grasso still helped put together the program’s finest season in recent memory.

A high school All-American, Grasso will bring to the table a great deal of leadership and knowledge. This should result in stronger recruitment, stronger scouting reports and high-level intensity practices.