Jeff Graves Has Major D-1 Interest

Jeff Graves, a 6-9, 252 pound power forward from Iowa Western C.C. in Council Bluffs, Ia., has a number of high Division I programs chasing him this summer.

JUCO Junction caught up with both IWCC Asst. Coach Trent Lovewell and Head Coach Jim Morris, and they filled us in on the latest information regarding Graves' recruitment.

According to Coach Morris, Kansas and Missouri appear to be the early leaders, with Oklahoma, Tennessee, Long Beach State, Illinois, UNLV, Florida State and Texas Tech also in the mix with Graves.

Coach Morris said that Graves has a pair of official visits set up this fall. He will visit Long Beach State next weekend, from Aug. 31-Sept. 2, and then trip to Kansas the weekend of Oct. 20. That date coincides with the KU/Mizzou football game in Lawrence.

Most of the programs on Graves' list have offered, except for Missouri and Kansas.

"Kansas has not offered him yet," Morris said. "They wanted to see how he would do academically this fall. They basically said they would offer him athletically and if his academics are in order, they will go all the way through. So if he is doing OK in class, they will go ahead and make an official offer."

Graves was one of the best low post freshmen that JUCO Junction/Rivalshoops.com had a chance to evaluate last season. He has a huge frame and great hands, which make Graves nearly impossible to stop down low once he establishes position on the blocks.

Morris said that Graves used to attend basketball camp at KU in his youth, so he has some familiarity with Roy Williams' program. On the other hand, he is a Missouri native, so this is a Big 12 recruiting battle that could get interesting in the coming weeks.

Graves took a previous visit to Long Beach State, and his trip to the California school next week will be his second one.

"In the fall period, we expect a lot of the coaches recruiting Jeff to come through here," Morris said. "He might set up another two to three visits after that, but I am not sure if he will wind up taking all five of his visits."

Morris said he expects Graves to sign early.

Graves averaged 8.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per game last season, shooting a robust 64 percent from the field. He played alongside St. Louis recruit Kenny Brown in the frontcourt at Iowa Western, but according to Coach Lovewell, he is in significantly better shape entering his sophomore year for the Reivers.

By all accounts, Graves was dominant last month at Jerry Mullen's JUCO Showcase in Tulsa, as Kansas and a number of other high majors intently watched him.

JUCO Junction/Rivalshoops.com will keep you posted on his recruitment in the coming weeks, so stay tuned.