Recruiting calls to Treveon Graham sometimes amounted to one-sided conversations for Virginia Commonwealth coach Shaka Smart and his assistant coaches.
"It was hard to get much out of him," he said. "It would be like, 'Well, do you like VCU? Do you want to come?' "
Graham did want to play at VCU, but he was in his "shy zone," he said, getting comfortable with the coaching staff before opening up.
It takes the 6-foot-5, 215-pound freshman guard/forward with the low voice a little while to warm up to folks, which is not something you'd expect given his aggressive nature on the basketball court.
After a slow start ? he was 3 for 23 from the floor in his first eight games ? Graham is emerging as a scorer/offensive rebounder.
He has averaged 9.5 points and 3.7 rebounds in his past 11 games. In his past two games, he's scored 15 points, grabbed six offensive rebounds and totaled 13 rebounds.
His overall averages as the Rams try to put an emotional win over archrival Old Dominion behind them with Hofstra looming tonight in their third Colonial Athletic Association game in five days: 6.7 points, 3.4 rebounds (1.6 offensive) and 38.4 percent shooting in 16 minutes.
Graham's knack for getting to the basket and rebounding misses is reflected at the foul line. He's taken 76 free throws, second only to Bradford Burgess' 91. Graham is shooting 60.5 percent at the line.
"You haven't seen anything yet," Smart said. "He's really gaining a comfort level out there. He can really score in bunches."
Comfort was a big reason the Rams were able to land Graham. Several major-conference schools ? Clemson, Boston College, Cincinnati ? recruited him after he emerged as a force at St. Mary's Ryken in the powerful Washington Catholic Athletic Conference in D.C.
While Graham said other coaches checked in from time to time, VCU's staff made him a priority. The Rams kept in touch with him and his family and spent a lot of time following him on the summer circuit.
Graham liked the rapport and the family feel that developed.
"Because I'm so shy, I wanted to go somewhere I was comfortable with the coaches and could talk to them about anything," he said. "If I don't have that connection, I won't open up to them as much. That probably wouldn't be good for my career."
Graham's varsity career at St. Mary's Ryken didn't start until he was a junior. As a sophomore, he was a high-scoring guard who was all of 5-11 and 150 pounds.
Graham sprouted 5 inches and put on almost 50 pounds the summer before his junior year. Coaching contacts in the Catholic league alerted former Rams assistant Mike Jones that he needed to come take a look.
"I'll never forget sitting around the office, all the coaches watching tape, and we all said, 'We've got to get this guy,'" said Smart, who said he believes Graham will become an "elite" scorer who can play multiple positions.
Smart had a good idea that Graham wanted to play at VCU. His mother, Katrina, filled in the coaching staff on what her son was thinking.
The court is where Graham says he can shine and be himself. Aggressive? The Rams call him "Freight Train" because he mowed over a teammate in a charge drill.
They don't see the shyness.
"When he's around us, he talks all the time," Burgess said.
Smart said that's because Graham's personality "has really started to come out in the last several months."
Enough that Graham revealed this: "Once I get to know you and I get comfortable, I'm an outspoken guy."
"It was hard to get much out of him," he said. "It would be like, 'Well, do you like VCU? Do you want to come?' "
Graham did want to play at VCU, but he was in his "shy zone," he said, getting comfortable with the coaching staff before opening up.
It takes the 6-foot-5, 215-pound freshman guard/forward with the low voice a little while to warm up to folks, which is not something you'd expect given his aggressive nature on the basketball court.
After a slow start ? he was 3 for 23 from the floor in his first eight games ? Graham is emerging as a scorer/offensive rebounder.
He has averaged 9.5 points and 3.7 rebounds in his past 11 games. In his past two games, he's scored 15 points, grabbed six offensive rebounds and totaled 13 rebounds.
His overall averages as the Rams try to put an emotional win over archrival Old Dominion behind them with Hofstra looming tonight in their third Colonial Athletic Association game in five days: 6.7 points, 3.4 rebounds (1.6 offensive) and 38.4 percent shooting in 16 minutes.
Graham's knack for getting to the basket and rebounding misses is reflected at the foul line. He's taken 76 free throws, second only to Bradford Burgess' 91. Graham is shooting 60.5 percent at the line.
"You haven't seen anything yet," Smart said. "He's really gaining a comfort level out there. He can really score in bunches."
Comfort was a big reason the Rams were able to land Graham. Several major-conference schools ? Clemson, Boston College, Cincinnati ? recruited him after he emerged as a force at St. Mary's Ryken in the powerful Washington Catholic Athletic Conference in D.C.
While Graham said other coaches checked in from time to time, VCU's staff made him a priority. The Rams kept in touch with him and his family and spent a lot of time following him on the summer circuit.
Graham liked the rapport and the family feel that developed.
"Because I'm so shy, I wanted to go somewhere I was comfortable with the coaches and could talk to them about anything," he said. "If I don't have that connection, I won't open up to them as much. That probably wouldn't be good for my career."
Graham's varsity career at St. Mary's Ryken didn't start until he was a junior. As a sophomore, he was a high-scoring guard who was all of 5-11 and 150 pounds.
Graham sprouted 5 inches and put on almost 50 pounds the summer before his junior year. Coaching contacts in the Catholic league alerted former Rams assistant Mike Jones that he needed to come take a look.
"I'll never forget sitting around the office, all the coaches watching tape, and we all said, 'We've got to get this guy,'" said Smart, who said he believes Graham will become an "elite" scorer who can play multiple positions.
Smart had a good idea that Graham wanted to play at VCU. His mother, Katrina, filled in the coaching staff on what her son was thinking.
The court is where Graham says he can shine and be himself. Aggressive? The Rams call him "Freight Train" because he mowed over a teammate in a charge drill.
They don't see the shyness.
"When he's around us, he talks all the time," Burgess said.
Smart said that's because Graham's personality "has really started to come out in the last several months."
Enough that Graham revealed this: "Once I get to know you and I get comfortable, I'm an outspoken guy."
