Shortly after watching another Santa Clara product be drafted in the top 20 of the NBA Draft, 2024 Ponchatoula (LA) big man Allen Graves made his commitment to the Broncos.

“I chose Santa Clara because of the great atmosphere on campus and in the basketball program,” Graves told HoopSeen.com. “I feel like everybody on the staff is honest and genuine people, plus you can tell they are going to develop you to be the best player you can be. I love how they focus on player development and how to improve someone’s individual game as well as team game.”

Santa Clara’s recent success in the NBA Draft — the Broncos are one of four schools to have a player picked in the top 20 over the past two years — also played a big part in his decision.

“That obviously influenced my decision quite a bit because my end goal out of all of this is to hopefully make it to the league one day. Santa Clara putting out two top 20 draft picks in the past two years puts me in a great position to be able to make that dream turn into reality.”

Graves also seriously considered Xavier, Texas A&M, and Louisiana.

The 6-foot-9 big man had a nice spring travel season with LivOn Basketball on the Nike EYBL circuit. Graves was one of my favorites from Session 1, as he displayed the ability to score with his back to the basket and make shots from 15-feet and out. 

Graves averaged 19 points per game last season during the high school season, including a 23-point, 16-rebound performance in the state championship game.