by Craig Morgan, theSunDevils.com writer
TEMPE, Ariz. -- Grant House drew heavy interest from the best collegiate swimming programs in the nation. He was talking to Texas. He was talking to Florida. He was talking to North Carolina State. He was talking to the California schools.
All of those schools sold House on the swimmer he could become and the team success he could achieve with their resources and traditions. House wanted more.
"It wasn't a one-week or one-month decision," the Sun Devil freshman said. "It was a gradual, drawn-out process. I visited several colleges so it was gradual realization of what I wanted.
"You may have an idea of what you want at the beginning and then your perspective changes. Places you thought you'd enjoy you don't."
House's decision came down to the three-time defending national champion Longhorns and ASU. Coach Bob Bowman was an obvious and undeniable draw, House said, but what tipped the scales in the Sun Devils' favor was everything House experienced away from the pool on his unofficial visit, when touring the Carson Student-Athlete Center and meeting Vice President for University Athletics Ray Anderson.
"It was cool to have the attention to academics come first," said House, a Barrett Honors College student. "That spoke to me and my mother a lot about what they put first and foremost here.
"They realize you're not just a swimmer here. Swimming will end at some point and your life after that is what matters most. It's about building the whole individual here. It's not just, 'get in the pool, we're going to make you as fast as we can.' It's about life lessons every day; being the best person each of us can be. They saw me as a whole person, not just a tool or piece in their puzzle to fill a certain role or score points for us at NCAAs."
House has four years to sort out his life's plans. In the meantime, there is no denying the impact he will have on the Sun Devils' rapidly improving men's program.
House is a six-time individual state champion, and a two-time NSCA National Champion (2014-16) out of Cincinnati's St. Xavier Prep. He was a 2016 Olympic trials qualifier and competed at the 2015 Junior World Championships, winning a gold medal in the 800 freestyle relay. According to colleswimming.com, he was the No. 4 recruit in the nation.
"I think we can expect some big things from him," Bowman said in his understated way. "Some had him ranked the No. 1 recruit in the country."
House's upbringing prepared him well for his collegiate career. His mother, Susan, is a guidance counselor and coached swimming for 30-plus years, His father, Ray, is a physical education teacher and also coached swimming for 30-plus years. His sister, Ashley Smith, swam at the Division III level and his brother, Kyle, swam at Purdue and Queens University before enrolling at ASU as a graduate student.
"I idolize my brother and sister and my brother has been my mentor my whole life," House said. "St. Xavier taught me a lot about myself but obviously it starts in the home. I just feel that my family prepared me for many of the situations I face every day: adversity or even the easy decisions. That allowed me to know where I fit in and what would challenge me the most."
Like many elite swimmers, qualifying for the Olympics represents House's greatest challenge.
"Every day, it's the source of motivation but it's a very broad idea for me at this point," he said. "Every day, working to get there. We're adjusting the slightest things, hand and body positioning, the kick. Bob is a big advocate of body position in the water. The more efficacious you are in the water, the faster you're going to go.
"It's been a balancing act with the schoolwork, practice and getting enough sleep. As intense as the workouts are here, you realize how much recovery your body needs to come in and perform the next day. Stress your body, stress your systems, adapt to those, recover and then come back stronger. Bob really emphasizes that approach."
House and assistant coach Michael Joyce have adopted the mantra of getting .2 percent better every day in order to become "a force to be reckoned with" at NCAA's and at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. There is another goal, however, on House's mind.
"Making this program as great as it can be," he said. "I was telling someone the other day that when this freshman class leaves, I want this program to be one of the perennial powerhouses. I want them to be better than Texas. I want them to be the team that beats Texas."
House believes the leadership is already in place to accomplish that goal.
"That man has the plan," he said, pointing toward Bowman's office. "Every day, we have to trust the process and perform the best we can. Every day, we're challenged and every day we have to rise to that challenge. That's one of my favorite aspects of this program."
TEMPE, Ariz. -- Grant House drew heavy interest from the best collegiate swimming programs in the nation. He was talking to Texas. He was talking to Florida. He was talking to North Carolina State. He was talking to the California schools.
All of those schools sold House on the swimmer he could become and the team success he could achieve with their resources and traditions. House wanted more.
"It wasn't a one-week or one-month decision," the Sun Devil freshman said. "It was a gradual, drawn-out process. I visited several colleges so it was gradual realization of what I wanted.
"You may have an idea of what you want at the beginning and then your perspective changes. Places you thought you'd enjoy you don't."
House's decision came down to the three-time defending national champion Longhorns and ASU. Coach Bob Bowman was an obvious and undeniable draw, House said, but what tipped the scales in the Sun Devils' favor was everything House experienced away from the pool on his unofficial visit, when touring the Carson Student-Athlete Center and meeting Vice President for University Athletics Ray Anderson.
"It was cool to have the attention to academics come first," said House, a Barrett Honors College student. "That spoke to me and my mother a lot about what they put first and foremost here.
"They realize you're not just a swimmer here. Swimming will end at some point and your life after that is what matters most. It's about building the whole individual here. It's not just, 'get in the pool, we're going to make you as fast as we can.' It's about life lessons every day; being the best person each of us can be. They saw me as a whole person, not just a tool or piece in their puzzle to fill a certain role or score points for us at NCAAs."
House has four years to sort out his life's plans. In the meantime, there is no denying the impact he will have on the Sun Devils' rapidly improving men's program.
House is a six-time individual state champion, and a two-time NSCA National Champion (2014-16) out of Cincinnati's St. Xavier Prep. He was a 2016 Olympic trials qualifier and competed at the 2015 Junior World Championships, winning a gold medal in the 800 freestyle relay. According to colleswimming.com, he was the No. 4 recruit in the nation.
"I think we can expect some big things from him," Bowman said in his understated way. "Some had him ranked the No. 1 recruit in the country."
House's upbringing prepared him well for his collegiate career. His mother, Susan, is a guidance counselor and coached swimming for 30-plus years, His father, Ray, is a physical education teacher and also coached swimming for 30-plus years. His sister, Ashley Smith, swam at the Division III level and his brother, Kyle, swam at Purdue and Queens University before enrolling at ASU as a graduate student.
"I idolize my brother and sister and my brother has been my mentor my whole life," House said. "St. Xavier taught me a lot about myself but obviously it starts in the home. I just feel that my family prepared me for many of the situations I face every day: adversity or even the easy decisions. That allowed me to know where I fit in and what would challenge me the most."
Like many elite swimmers, qualifying for the Olympics represents House's greatest challenge.
"Every day, it's the source of motivation but it's a very broad idea for me at this point," he said. "Every day, working to get there. We're adjusting the slightest things, hand and body positioning, the kick. Bob is a big advocate of body position in the water. The more efficacious you are in the water, the faster you're going to go.
"It's been a balancing act with the schoolwork, practice and getting enough sleep. As intense as the workouts are here, you realize how much recovery your body needs to come in and perform the next day. Stress your body, stress your systems, adapt to those, recover and then come back stronger. Bob really emphasizes that approach."
House and assistant coach Michael Joyce have adopted the mantra of getting .2 percent better every day in order to become "a force to be reckoned with" at NCAA's and at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. There is another goal, however, on House's mind.
"Making this program as great as it can be," he said. "I was telling someone the other day that when this freshman class leaves, I want this program to be one of the perennial powerhouses. I want them to be better than Texas. I want them to be the team that beats Texas."
House believes the leadership is already in place to accomplish that goal.
"That man has the plan," he said, pointing toward Bowman's office. "Every day, we have to trust the process and perform the best we can. Every day, we're challenged and every day we have to rise to that challenge. That's one of my favorite aspects of this program."