Chase Graves Attracts D-1 Attention
If nobody had heard of him prior to Sunday, then 6-0, 175 pound combo guard Chase Graves served notice with one single play at the NEPSAC Class B Tournament in Worcester, Mass.
Graves, who attends Storm King Prep in Cornwall on Hudson, N.Y., soared high with 11:53 to play in the second half as Tabor's powerful 6-9 All-American big man Torin Francis rose up to dunk the ball for a certain two points.
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But Graves met Francis nose to nose on his jump and made a clean block, stunning the observers in the crowd.
Blessed with good quickness and athleticism, Graves chipped in 12 points in the Cougars' victory on Sunday.
"He's not a three point shooter, but Chase is a terrific defender who has more of a short to midrange perimeter game," Storm King Head Coach Kevin Houston said.
Against Tabor, Graves showed that he is an effective slasher who can get up with the best of them. He converted an alley oop slam on one offensive series, and made an incredibly difficult baseline pull up jumper with defenders in his grille.
Marist, Manhattan and Hofstra have spoken with Houston this winter regarding Graves, who came to Storm King after attending Henderson H.S. in Westchester, Penn.
Graves averaged around 13 points per game this season for the Cougars, and has already attained a qualifying SAT score and satisfactory core GPA, Houston said. He is waiting on final certification from the NCAA Clearinghouse.
Houston said that Storm King took off this year after it moved Graves to the point, but he seemed to be most effective as a wing player on Sunday.
IR will keep you updated on Graves' recruitment this spring, so stay tuned.