At Brewster Academy, Devonte Graham was the smiler: The relentlessly positive point guard and near-straight A student.
Except at night, when fear of the unknown consumed his thoughts.
"There were nights when I was just crying because I didn't know if I was ever going to college," now-Charlotte Hornet Graham recalled.
Graham was betting on himself, with his whole future at stake. Not just whether he'd play basketball, but whether he'd get a college education. He had signed with Appalachian State back when he was a 5-foot-6 runt in Raleigh. Then, he grew to 6-1 as his basketball profile soared.
Appalachian State declined to release him from his letter of intent, so Graham chose prep school at Brewster in New Hampshire, rather than lose a year of college eligibility. It was a major gamble, in that college coaches were barred from interacting with him throughout the winter of 2014.
Five years later, Graham is a Hornets starter, and arguably the most improved player in the NBA, averaging 18.7 points and 7.8 assists. Teammates describe him as an old soul: Persistent, patient, humble-yet-confident. A lot of that's just naturally Graham. The rest is what he learned from being the guy not on every coach's "must-sign" list.
