Graham has answered the bell for Spartans

Justin Graham is 14 games into his first college basketball season, and not only is he getting the customary rave reviews from his own coach, but other coaches in the Western Athletic Conference as well.

Graham is averaging 23.5 in his two conference games and 13.5 overall. He is shooting 50 percent from the floor and 45 percent from 3-point range. The 6-foot-4 floppy haired redshirt freshman is a big reason why San Jose State is 7-7 and has already won more games this year than in any of the five previous seasons.

"He's carried us in games which is unusual for a freshman," SJSU coach George Nessman said in a telephone interview on Monday. "He's been impressive. He's probably playing a little better than we thought he might this early.

"If you have a point guard that can't score, people get off him. He doesn't take bad shots, but he scores a lot. He has been able to get to the free-throw line, too."

Nevada coach Mark Fox said Graham reminds him of ex-Boise State star Coby Karl, a former all-WAC performer, now with the Los Angeles Lakers.

"He is certainly off to a great start," Fox said. "He's having a solid year; leading them in scoring. He's a nice addition to their team. He's scoring the ball well. He's a lot like Coby Karl. He's really playing well for them."

Hawaii coach Bob Nash said that he expects Graham will be one of the "bright stars in the league" for a while after the youngster scored 29 against his team last weekend.

Nessman said that Graham was "willing" the Spartans to win at both ends of the court against Hawaii.

"It's really great to hear that," Graham said. "I've still got a long ways to go, but I have a lot of time to do it."

Part of the reason for Graham's fast start can be attributed to the Spartans' 10-day trip to England. Nessman said the team in general and Graham in particular benefited from it.

"No question," said the Spartans' third-year coach. "He had to get out front and play against pros. It was pretty good competition.

"There was one game where he didn't play well. He didn't come to play with the right attitude. We sat him down and got on him. We told him that we don't have time for growing pains, and that you have to be ready to play."

And, with the Spartans having a lot of new players on the roster, the extra work was vital.

"It (the trip) was very meaningful," Graham said. "It was good for the team and gave the team a few extra practices. It was an extra week for the team to mesh together."

The truth is, Graham probably could have been doing this last season, too, but opted to redshirt instead. It turned out to be a brilliant decision.

Graham came to the Spartans as a gangly 6-foot-4 160-pounder out of Ripon High School in the San Joaquin Valley.

"My father and I had a discussion," Graham said. "I didn't feel my body could withstand the rigors of the college game. I had to prepare my body.

"I did put on a significant number of pounds. We have a pretty good weight training (staff) here."

Nessman said weight was the key issue. He estimates that Graham is probably 25 pounds heavier than last year.

"He was so thin," Nessman said. "I don't think we were going to be a very good team last year with him (playing)."

Graham said the biggest adjustment he's had to make is playing against highly skilled players on a regular basis.

"Everybody here (and on other teams) is a quality player," Graham said. "Where I'm from, there weren't many great players that I was playing against everyday."

San Jose State lost a lot of close games last year, but they have been good in close contests this season.

"Part of it has been because we have more talent," Nessman said. "The second piece has been we have a point guard (Graham) making plays.''

Graham made the game-winning basket against Appalachian State and sank two free throws with 1.6 seconds left to send the Portland State game into overtime, and the Spartans eventually won it.

Graham is certainly more about basketball, however.

Even before he entered San Jose State, Graham was already preparing for his college career, both on the basketball court and in the classroom.

Graham's dad, an academic advisor at Cal-State Stanislaus, urged him to take college courses on the internet while he was in high school. By the time he stepped on the San Jose campus, he already had 24.5 units. Graham, who is a member of the student-athletic advisory committee on campus, plans to get his BA at the end of the next school year, and he'll work on his Masters his last two years on the basketball squad.

Pretty impressive. Whether his basketball career ends in San Jose or not, bet on Graham being a huge success.

• Contact Darrell Moody at dmoody@nevadaappeal.com, or by calling (775) 881-1281

THE GRAHAM FILE

Hometown: Ripon, Calif.

Position: Point guard

Year in school: Redshirt freshman

Height/weight: 6-4, 185 pounds

Major: Communications