Though they may not get as much court time or mentions on the highlight reel, two Baltimore natives are making a big impact on the men's and women's Terps basketball teams. Senior forward Jonathan Graham and redshirt freshman forward A'Lexus Harrison both bring energy, teamwork, and defensive ability to their squads as they prepare for the NCAA Tournament.
Graham, a Catonsville native and Calvert Hall alum, is following in the footsteps of his father, Ernie Graham, who was a Terps great that also wore No. 25, a jersey that now resides in the rafters of Xfinity Center in College Park. "The more I kept hearing about his story, watching him in the early years, it really inspired me," Graham says. "The original mission I had when I was 10 years old was to go to Maryland and break his scoring record."
Similarly, Harrison knew from a young age that Maryland was her dream school. "When I was 12, we came to a game," she recalls. "The intros were about to start, the lights went out, and the fight song was playing. It was mesmerizing to me. I looked up at my mom and told her I was going to play here one day."
Of course, between the dream and reality was a lot of hard work for Graham and Harrison, would pushed themselves to the limit in high school.
"We recognized his potential right away," Calvert Hall head basketball coach John Bauersfeld says of Graham. "He played varsity as a freshman and, by sophomore year, his numbers were tremendous. After that, he did such a good job of buying into the team player part of it, whether he was cheering on the bench or bettering himself as a defender."
"In high school, I really learned that it wasn't about one guy," Graham says. "And Coach taught me how to be a good defender because I wasn't when I got there."
For Harrison's part, it came down to inherent confidence and early-morning motivation. Digital Harbor head coach Patrick McDonald would pick her up at her Lansdowne home for 6 a.m. practice.
"I wouldn't knock or blow my horn," McDonald says. "I would flash my lights so she had to be ready and waiting. She never missed a morning practice for two years. She brought that energy to her play. She has a terrific motor and could sprint down the court so fast it made your jaw drop. She plays relentless basketball."