Jeffery Graves, Class of 1981

BASKETBALL

During Jeff’s sophomore year at Withrow, he was a starter on the varsity basketball team, playing alongside LaSalle Thompson. He was an all-league performer that year and was named a pre-season honorable mention All-American. During Jeff’s senior year Withrow won the PHSL championship and made it to the Southwestern District AAA tournament. Jeff eclipsed the 1000-point mark while at Withrow. Jeff received a scholarship to attend Lake City Community College, and that team finished eighth in the nation. After Lake City, Jeff attended.LeMoyne-Owen College in Memphis; the team finished 29-2 and were NCAA Division III national runner-up in 1986. After graduation Jeff got a tryout with the Dallas Mavericks and was the last player cut. He then went overseas and played two seasons in Italy before returning home in 1993. Jeff was the Western Hills girls’ junior varsity coach and coached Cincinnati Recreation commission teams for seven years. He then moved back to Memphis and became the assistant coach of the Colonial Patriots who won State championships in 2017 and 2018.