Jeff Graves Update
Jeff Graves, a 6-9, 252 pound power forward/center from Iowa Western C.C. in Council Bluffs, Ia., has narrowed his focus to seven colleges this fall.
JUCO Junction/Rivalshoops.com caught up with Iowa Western Head Coach Jim Morris late this past week, and he told us that Graves will choose from among Kansas, Illinois, Long Beach State, Florida State, Louisville, Tennessee and Indiana.
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Graves has only taken one official visit thus far, to Long Beach State at the beginning of September. Morris said that Graves was debating whether to visit Kansas or Florida State for midnight madness.
All of the colleges on Graves' list have offered scholarships, except for Kansas.
Morris said he will have a clearer idea of what visits Graves will take this fall by the beginning of the upcoming week. JUCO Junction will keep you informed and let you know once we learn this information.
"He is going to visit Kansas, I think Florida State, and Illinois," Morris said. "He's already visited Long Beach State, but then he's kind of open on the other ones. I think KU might be tough to beat because it's close to home, but you never know."
A native of Lees Summit, Mo., Morris has become one of the top junior college big men in the country. After averaging eight points and five rebounds per game as a freshman, Graves is expected to put up bigger numbers this year with the departure of frontcourt mate Kenny Brown (St. Louis University).
Graves had a terrific camp at Jerry Mullen's JUCO Showcase in Tulsa, Okla., where Kansas and several other high major programs were in attendance to evaluate him.
JUCO Junction had a chance to catch Graves last season at the State Fair C.C. Thanksgiving Tournament in Sedalia, Mo., and while he was clearly out of shape, he has a tremendously wide frame, good footwork and great hands.
Morris said Graves really shaped up in the off-season, and we will be eager to see the improvements that Jeff has made in his game when we evaluate him again later this fall.
So stay tuned for more evaluations and recruiting updates on Graves in the coming weeks.