Joey Gruden makes his own way as Dayton basketball player

Joey Gruden doesn't get into many games for Dayton, but it's clear to see that he brings his family's trademark intensity to each contest whether he plays or not.

Joey, the son of Washington Redskins coach Jay Gruden and nephew of ESPN broadcaster Jon Gruden, turned in one of the most energetic highlights of the NCAA tournament's first week when he and two other benchwarmers went nuts near the end of Dayton's "First Four" victory over Boise State on Wednesday. 

It's not too hard to picture his uncle Jon doing the same thing on a sideline, is it?

Joey Gruden, of course, is taking a separate path from his family by playing a sport that isn't football. The 6-foot-2 Dayton sophomore played safety in high school, but didn't wish to continue at the Division III level. He instead chose a bigger school and decided to walk on the basketball team. He eventually hopes to establish a coaching career in the sport.

Gruden's career hasn't been a glamorous one so far, even though Dayton has advanced to the round of 32 and will play Oklahoma on Sunday with a Sweet 16 trip on the line. Joey has seen only seven minutes of playing time over seven games this season and hasn't scored a single basket.

 

Writes Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post:

[Being Jay's son] doesn't exactly bring special perks for a basketball walk-on at Dayton: Joey Gruden grabs stools for the starters to sit on during timeouts, makes the “three” symbols with his hands when teammates hit three-pointers, participates in team drills during practice, and mostly stays quiet when the media comes around.

“I don’t get asked a lot of questions,” he said with a smile Saturday morning. “It’s nice to get asked questions.”

Gruden isn't the only basketball player with famous family members gettting some tourney time this spring. Michelle Robinson, the niece of Michelle and Barack Obama, plays for the Princeton's women's team. (The President showed up to watch the squad's win on Saturday.) The sons of several famous basketball players are also on rosters including UCLA's Hunter Alford (Steve, who is also UCLA's head coach), Kansas' Evan Manning (Danny), Gonzaga's Domantas Sabonis (Arvydas) and Wisconsin's Traevon Jackson (Jimmy).