Just three years ago, Justin Graham was getting his first introduction to the track and field program at Girard High School.
Thursday he signed his name on a national letter of intent to join the Pratt Community College Beavers as a thrower for next year.
Cyrus Hall, who joined the Beavers' staff as head coach in August 2007, said he found Graham through a recruiting website. He made initial contact and, after he got to know the Girard senior, offered him a spot on the team Hall's working to rebuild.
“When I took over, we didn't have very many kids,” Hall said. “There's some good kids and some talent there, but we're pretty much starting from the ground up.
“(Graham) is a good athlete. That was the first thing I looked at. When I got to know him, he's a real nice kid who seems intent on getting better. Those are the types of kids I want in my program.”
Pratt is located about an hour west of Wichita. That, Graham said, was one of the things that attracted him to the school.
“It's kind of out in the middle of nowhere, and I like that,” he said. “I'll get some me-time but I'll still get to do my track.
“Plus, it's a JuCo, so it's nice and small. I'll get all my early stuff done faster than if I'd gone to a four-year” college.
Graham said he plans to major in education with a minor in coaching. He moved to Girard from Arkansas about three years ago, he said, and may return to The Natural State and a four-year college there when he graduates Pratt.
His Girard coach, Matt Logue, said Graham showed an affinity for field events, particularly the shot putt, right off the bat when he joined the Trojans' team three years ago. Graham had never participated in a track and field program before he came to GHS, he said.
“He was a kid that worked hard but, to be honest, he's a late bloomer,” Logue said. “He's just now starting to show real promise as a thrower.
“His first year, he didn't have much of an impact. The difference between Justin and other kids is he has an affinity for it and he didn't give up.”
Graham is a technically sound shot putter who's still developing and growing, Logue said. He has some work to do in the other throwing events, but he believes Graham will continue to improve and will be an asset to the Pratt Beavers' team.
“I don't think we've seen his full potential” at Girard High School, Logue said. “I think Pratt will see his potential a lot more than we will.
“It's nice to watch kids like him grow up. He's a fine young man and I'm anxious to see what he'll do in the next couple of years.”