The state of North Carolina is home to some of the greatest college basketball in the country. That tradition starts at the grassroots level. One player is making his name already and hopes to continue on in the history of the ACC. William Graves, a 6-foot-6, 200 sophomore guard from Dudley HS in Greensboro, NC is doing what he can to play close to home.

Graves has made it no secret that he would like to close to home and play in front of his friends and family. Some ACC schools know that and have given him the open door policy.

“A couple of the ACC schools have told me that I can visit anytime I want,” Graves said. “I’ve always seen myself playing in the ACC but I’m open to anything else that comes to mind.

“Carolina is 45 minutes, Duke is an hour, NC State is an hour and 15 minutes away. That’s nice. North Carolina has always been my favorite though. I’ve been to their Midnight Madness two years in a row. I met Matt Doherty and Roy Williams.”

With his mature body and versatility on the court, it is easy to see why Graves is already a hot commodity amongst coaches in the ACC and other NCAA schools like Georgetown. Last week at the Marshall Co. Hoopfest, Graves played nearly half the game at the point guard spot.

With his high major talent and playing in front of top notch schools, some young players get caught up in the attention. Not Graves.

“I’ve been playing basketball for a long time. It’s like the back of my hand. I don’t really feel any pressures at all. When I play, it’s just another day of work really,” Graves said.

The sophomore said he is also aware of what he needs to improve upon in order to round out his already impressive skills.

“I need to improve my intensity and killer instinct,” Graves said. “I don’t play hard all the time and sometimes take other people lightly.”

Dudley will play at the prestigious Beach Ball Classic in Myrtle Beach on Dec. 26-30. They match up against Nansemond River (VA) featuring future Virginia Tech Hokie Marquie Cooke on Dec. 26 at 5 p.m.