Torian Graham, the No. 6 shooting guard in the Class of 2012 according to Rivals, has chosen N.C. State over Kentucky and Rutgers.
“For them to get a commitment from a Top 25 recruit, I think that’s huge to the program,” said DC Assault coach Damon Handon. “He’s a big-time athletic scorer. I think that his best basketball is ahead of him. I think Torian has a big upside.”
The 6-foot-4 guard out of Raleigh (N.C.) Word of God opted to stay close to home, in part because his mother is ill and he wanted to be near her.
“I think at the end of the day he didn’t want to go too far from home,” Handon said.
Handon said Kentucky and Rutgers were also in the mix. Graham’s older brother, Tyree, is at Rutgers, although he will never play a game there. He will be placed on medical hardship (ruptured Achilles) and could then play at another institution beginning in 2012 assuming he graduates from Rutgers.
“I think he considered Rutgers,” Handon said of Torian. “Rutgers was one of the schools. He’s really starting to really focus on the schools for the July recruiting period.”
Graham joins point guard Tyler Lewis of North Carolina in Mark Gottfried’s recruiting class.
“This kid [Graham] is physically not even physically developed yet,” Handon said. “I think that’s a huge get for them.”