January 9, 2025

By Jon Feyen
ScoutU

Olivet Nazarene University historically has one of the fastest, most prolific offenses in the country. This means the Tigers recruit a certain type of player who can handle the pace and brings great skill to the court. Grace Bush checks all those boxes and recently committed to play for Olivet Nazarene next year.

“Grace is very athletic and has good speed,” ScoutU’s Jason Lauren said. “She has a great mid-range jumper, is a very good ballhandler and can drive to the hoop with many impressive moves. Not only is Grace a great athlete and student, but she’s also a great kid. I’m sure she will have an excellent career at Olivet Nazarene!”

The Tigers, who have gone 74-40 the last four seasons, currently average 89 points per game this year. ONU made six consecutive trips to the NAIA Tournament from 2017-22.

“I was fortunate to receive about 10 offers from really great D3 and NAIA colleges,” Bush said. “I ended up choosing Olivet because it is faith-based and close to home, which was appealing to me. I really connected with the coaches and team, and felt it was a great fit for me. I am extremely excited and grateful for the opportunity to continue to play basketball at the collegiate level.  Basketball is part of who I am and being able to play in college is a blessing.”

Bush has been an ascending player since earning Lane Tech Team MVP during her sophomore season. As a junior, she was voted both All-Conference and All-City for Chicago. As her high school career winds down, Bush just needed some guidance in finding the best opportunity for her.

“ScoutU helped keep Grace on task to optimize her potential exposure,” said her mother, Becky. “Jason was very responsive and answered every question we had. He was always available to help. Grace would not have had the exposure she ended up having without ScoutU.”

With a weighted GPA of 4.9, Bush is also a standout in the classroom. Her combination of athletic and academic dedication are exactly what college coaches – and ScoutU scouts – look for.

“I lost track of the number of emails and calls that I received from interested coaches,” Bush said. “The ScoutU exposures helped get me noticed by many colleges – and definitely colleges I may have never considered. Thank you for all the support and help!”