Prospect Profile: Andrew Graves (2019 Jefferson HS/Team Fly North)
To most Oregon high school basketball fans, Andrew Graves is a bit of a mystery man. The long 6-foot-10, 190-pound post spent most of the 2017-18 season sitting on the bench looking good in warmups for Jefferson, unable to play due to injury. He managed to get into a few games late in the year but wasn’t really able to show off what he could do. This spring he was able to fully get back into action, first playing on the EYBL with the Rose City Rebels and then finishing out May with Team Fly.
“It was competitive playing in the EYBL, playing against some of the best in the country,” Graves said. “I felt I did pretty good. Some of the guys were really athletic but I didn’t let them bully me. Playing with Team Fly the competitiveness was different. Playing against teams in Oregon I had a big advantage with my height.”
Obviously at 6-foot-10, Graves is one of the tallest players in the state. But his skill level goes beyond just being tall. At under 200 pounds he will need to get stronger in order to fully compete in the paint, but he has the ability to step out and shoot the ball. In one game against MEBO Team Hood on the EYBL, he hit 3-for-4 from three-point range on his way to 13 points.
College coaches have paid attention to the native Alaskan’s exploits. In fact, he was sitting on a scholarship offer before things changed in the past couple of months. “Utah State had offered me, but when the coach got fired the offer went with him,” Graves said. “I’ve also heard from Santa Clara and Seattle U. I’m looking at all my options right now.”
For Graves, whether or not he decides on college early may depend on his ability to play. He was injured in May but a recent MRI indicated there was no ligament damage, but he did suffer a bad bone bruise. When it comes down to it, Graves will see what options he does have after this summer and then look to narrow things down.
“I’m just looking to see if (the school) has good facilities and if they develop their players,” Graves said. “Also some colleges like Seattle have said that they play positionless basketball and that’s something that sounds good to me.”
Graves currently ranks as the #31 player in the PrepHoops Oregon Class of 2019 rankings.