Not in games.

OK, that's a lie. He averages two minutes.

And never complains.

OK, that's a lie, too. He once muttered a few unhappy thoughts to himself, but snapped out of it quickly because, he says, "It's not hard for me to remember how fortunate I am."

Phveeert, phveeert, phveeert . . . Pollyanna warning here: We're about to hurtle into the sunshiny expanse of great attitude, not great athletic aptitude.

And, yet, he plays a significant role in his team's success, so much so that he was elected a team captain, getting more votes than any other player, and has earned the following accolade from his coach: "He's what I want this team to be."

Chris Grant, a senior guard at Utah, calls himself a "player-coach," although his greatest effect on the Utes is more the latter than the former. And it is vaster than the cliché of swinging a towel on the bench.

"He leads by example, every day in practice," says guard Johnnie Bryant. "He's a behind-the-scenes guy who makes sure everything is going right as far as getting us ready for a game. He plays the role in practice of the other team's best player. This week, he's Tim Anderson of Air Force. He's one of those guys that's hard to come by. Most guys have a lot of ego problems. He really cares about winning."

Adds Jim Boylen: "Chris was a better Jaycee Carroll than Jaycee Carroll."

For Grant's scout-team effort in the run-up to a Ute win over Utah State, Boylen pulled something of a rarity to honor his guard. He sent the game ball to Texas to have it painted, and presented it to Grant at Thursday's practice.

"It's difficult to lead when you're not a starter, when you don't play a lot," Boylen says. "But maybe I've seen it for the first time in all my time in basketball. That's a credit to him as a man . . . [The players and coaches] know that Chris has been devoted to putting the team first, and helping us build this back to respectability. They can't deny him. His heart is all about making this place successful."

So, how does Mr. Sunshine do it?

"I try to remember that everything I've experienced is a privilege," Grant says. "I'm not promised anything. I just try to do everything I can the best I can. We've got guys on this team who play my position who are better than I am, and who have more talent than I do. But I can help from a leadership standpoint. My game day is everyday in practice."

It's not as though Grant doesn't want to play more. Two seasons back, he was a starter, averaging 17 minutes, and leading the Utes in assists.

"There's nothing like going out on that floor and playing," he says. "It's so much fun. But Coach talks all the time about respecting the game and putting the team first. I try to internalize those things and apply them. It means so much to me to be a part of the Utah basketball team. I could have gone other places and played more. But this is where I want to be. . . . I still play an important role, but the team's success is more important than my own."

Even Grant knows that is a tragically uncommon, antiquated approach, and that, as Bryant says, many players merely give lip service to such one-for-all ideals.

"Especially in today's world," Grant says. "People have a sense of entitlement. I've seen that. But it does nothing to help. What does help is, if somebody gets hurt, I better be ready. You never know what's going to happen."

That's exactly how Grant got his first substantial playing time at Utah, when, during his sophomore season, Tim Drisdom injured a knee, opening time for the former walk-on.

Thereafter, though, he's settled into his job as a practice player and general team encourager - with toughness, and a set of experienced eyes to inform his teammates what he's seeing and what they might do to improve.

"He gets the tar beat out of him in practice," Boylen says. "He wants to win, but he doesn't have to be the man. And I love him for it."

That love ain't cheap. None of this has been an easy, sweet romp for Grant. He's required to put in the same hours and give the same time and emotional commitment as his teammates - without the public rewards.

But Grant says he wouldn't alter anything.

"One of my mottoes is, 'No regrets,' " he says. "And I don't have any. This has been one of the greatest experiences of my life. I couldn't be more thankful."

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* GORDON MONSON hosts "The Big Show" weekdays from 3-7 p.m. on 1280 AM The Zone. He can be reached at gmonson@sltrib.com.