Recruiting Report: Graham Hurlburt (2016)

<h2>November 13th Update</h2>Graham Hurlburt is coming off a 21 and 9 season and he’s surpassed 1,000 points already. He’s reached high levels of individual success. Now what Graham cares about is getting Enderlin to a higher level as a team in his final winter of high school basketball. “Fall preparation has gone well,” Graham said. “Lots of lifting, running, and drills with some of my teammates to tune up right before the season, which we are all looking forward to greatly “Our height this year will be a huge advantage. The region is full of talented teams this year, but very few with the height we have, so that will hopefully create some matchup problems in our favor.” Guys like Peter Lindgren and Jorun Hamre will battle up front with Hurlburt as Enderlin works to replace three or four starters. “Our expectations are high both externally and internally,” Hurlburt said. “The Hoopster has us at the preseason number four ranked team in the state, so to be given that amount of respect is truly honoring, but we aren't going to let that go to our heads. “There is a lot of work to be done, and a lot of variables that we will try and figure out before our first game.” Hurlburt continues to talk to the division three area schools including the Cobbers. “Nothing too new lately with recruiting,” Graham said. “Mainly just visiting with Concordia-Moorhead, with some interest from other MIAC schools.” <h2>August 24th Update</h2>Graham Hurlburt is one of the top Class B double-double guys in North Dakota. Need proof? How about 21 points and 9 rebounds a game as a sophomore for Enderlin High and 1,008 points and 427 boards in 72 games. That’s all the proof that is needed. Think about those numbers in that many games. Graham has averaged 14 points and six rebounds a game per season which includes two underclassmen years. Hurlburt has the numbers, he’s collected several individual honors, now he wants his senior year to be about wins. “We all have high expectations for the season,” Graham said. “Many people consider us a potential favorite in the region, it's still really early but we'll do our best to justify those expectations placed on us, both internally and externally. “Lost a lot of seniors last year but return some key players. Should be a fun year! Looking forward to it.” Graham spent the off-season playing 16 highly competitive games in the Sanford Pentagon Tournament Series (SPTS) and 37 games overall with ECI. “I thought it went well,” he said of his final Grassroots year. “We struggled a bit early but as we got to play together more throughout the season our chemistry improved dramatically, and with it, our record.” Playing with the ECI Prospects on the traveling circuit did a lot for Hurlburt and his basketball future. “(Grassroots Basketball) always helps with personal development because the high level of play exposes your weaknesses. This season I learned tons more about myself as a player, and what I need to work on to be a more complete player for the regular season. “The competition is fantastic, especially at the bigger tournaments, so is the opportunity to travel with your teammates to different cities and see some truly amazing basketball players and play against them is truly unparalleled.” Also traveling with them is college coaches. Graham is on the list of several in the North Dakota region but one school is standing out the most with their interest. “Right now I'm being pursued most by Concordia-Moorhead. We're in the process of setting up a visit this fall.” <h2>May 22nd Update</h2>As a junior at Enderlin High, Graham Hurlburt put up 20.7 points, nine rebounds, and a pair of blocks and assists per game. The 6-foot-6 forward helped get his team to 14 wins shooting 48 percent from the floor and 83 percent from the foul line. Graham’s next phase of basketball was his 17U season with ECI and after four weekends of play the Prospects have won half of their 22 games including a championship in the event they just hosted. “The season is going pretty well, I think we really started to gel as a team last weekend and individually I think I just need to be more consistent on both ends of the floor, which will come with time in the gym this summer now that school is done,” said Hurlburt. “Our rotation defensively will also get better with time and practice; it takes a little bit to learn the coaches' philosophies, and it takes more to perfect it. “I think our offense will come with just playing together more and getting to know the tendencies and strengths of each other so we can put each other in positions on the court to be successful.” In addition to the team aspects Graham also has individual ideas of off-season improvement. “I think the biggest aspect of my game that has grown is my defense,” Graham stated “It's an ongoing process, but I've really focused on developing that side of the floor and have learned a lot from my coaches at ECI.” At 6-foot-6 as a forward with a high school history of outstanding numbers (1008 points and 427 rebounds in 72 career games) Graham of course has schools talking to him about his future as a college basketball player. “Regularly the University of Mary, Minot State, and University of Sioux Falls show interest with new interest from Augustana, Concordia, and UW- La Crosse,” said Hurlburt. <h2>March 27, 2015 Update</h2>Six-foot-7 forward Graham Hurlburt of Enderlin led his team to 14 victories this season and put up massive numbers along the way. “My junior season was a crazy one, probably the most trying of my career but also the most rewarding,” said Hurlburt. “We started off really poorly at 0-6 and 2-8 through our first 10, but really turned our season around after the midway point.” Graham averaged 20.7 points, nine rebounds, two assists, and two blocks per game. “The top moments of the season were definitely making it to the district and regional championships,” Graham said. “After such a rough start, we really felt great to show what we were really made of.” Hurlburt shot 45 percent from the floor and 81 percent from the foul line this year and that is what NSIC schools are in on him early. “Minot State and the University of Mary have shown the most along with University of Sioux Falls just recently,” said Hurlburt. These are some of the schools that will be watching Graham in the next four months of Grassroots basketball play. “I'm extremely excited for the upcoming AAU season,” Graham said. “I will be rejoining the ECI program and could not be happier about that. “We really have a great group of guys with the program and I can't wait to get back playing with them again and to each grow as individuals and as a team.”<h2>Jan 21, 2015th update</h2>Enderlin wing Graham Hurlburt is listed as a 6-foot-7 small forward by his school. The extremely long but skilled wing is having a nice year himself, but team success has been tough to come by. “Well, it's been an interesting/trying one so far,” Graham said of the season. “We've had a tough early schedule (played three teams that have been ranked) and have been hit with the injury/sick bug.” One of the team’s best players missed the first six games with a concussion from a preseason scrimmage an Hurlburt had Influenza A so he hasn’t been himself so far this year. “As of this week we're all feeling better, have all our guys back and just got a huge momentum win for us in the first round of the Barnes County Tournament against FSHP (71-50) And are hoping to have a big turnaround in the second two-thirds of the season.” Graham is putting up 20.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game so far shooting 43 percent from the field which is a solid number considering the attention he gets on a 2-8 team. Graham shoots about 17 or 18 times a night an goes to the foul line for trips on average. Hurlburt’s potential is high so he is hearing from several college programs. “So far I've received interest from Dakota Wesleyan, U of Wisconsin-Superior, University of Mary, South Dakota School of Mines, and Minot State,” Graham said. “Most strongly from U of Mary and Minot State. “I don't have everything figured out yet, but I have an idea of the type of school that I hope to go to at the next level.” Graham competes with ECI in the spring and summer and you can expect college programs to travel and see him play routinely this off-season.