By ADAM ZAGORIA
James Graham III, the 6-foot-8, 205-pound Class of 2021 small forward from Nicolet (WI) High School, has delayed his announcement date until Friday from Monday.
According to 247Sports.com, Graham is ranked as the No. 9 small forward and No. 56 overall player in the Class of 2021.
My family and I have decided to move my decision back to Friday !
— James Graham III (@JamesGrahamIII2) August 17, 2020
Graham is down to Auburn, Maryland, Memphis and Wisconsin. The prediction here is Maryland.
He broke down his top options.
Auburn: “I like Auburn because coach [Bruce] Pearl has a lot of ties to a lot of people from Milwaukee. He recruited my high school coach so I never would’ve heard the end of it if I cut them. He likes tough, shot makers and I make some tough shots. I know he doesn’t have an issue with me taking those types of shots, as long as I give my all on defense. That’s what I like about coach Pearl and all of them.”
Maryland: “Maryland stressed to me building a brand and I like that. I didn’t even think about it, but the year I go to college will be the year that players can make money off their brand and likeness. Maryland brought that up and stressed about how they can help me build my brand. It’s also a good fit.”
Memphis: “[Patrick] Ewing and [Penny] Hardaway are Hall-of-Famers and Stack [Jerry Stackhouse] is borderline, so they’ve all done what it takes and have the accolades to show for it.”
Wisconsin: “I like Wisconsin a lot, same with Marquette because they’re close to home. Wisconsin is two hours and Marquette is 10 minutes away so its the fact that if I have a bad game, I can go to my own house, talk to my parents and have my support system in my backyard.
“Also, the perks of going to a hometown school. Everybody will know your name and the fame that comes with it. That’s something I look at, as well as them being good fits offensively and defensively.”
This post has been updated.
Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter
Follow ZAGSBLOGHoops on Instagram
