March 08, 2012
By Tom Housenick
Of The Morning Call

East Stroudsburg University headed to the 2011 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference tournament with a 16-12 record and a patchwork system at point guard.

The Warriors came up short, losing in the semifinals.

What a difference a year makes.

What a difference a true point guard makes.

Russell Graham III, a transfer from the University of New Hampshire, was the starting point guard on last season's team before a knee injury ended his season seven games in.

Though the Warriors battled through the 2010-11 regular season and qualified for the PSAC tournament, they were on borrowed time.

That was not the case in 2011-12.

With a healthy Graham, ESU entered the PSAC tournament with a 17-11 mark, and then won three games in a row to claim the program's second conference title.

With a healthy Graham, ESU plays more bonus basketball this weekend in the NCAA Division II tournament.

"Having Russell at point guard is a huge benefit this year," Warriors coach Jeff Wilson said. "Russell is playing his best basketball in February and March."

ESU (20-11), the No. 8 seed in the Atlantic Region, plays at No. 1 West Liberty (29-2) in Saturday's regional quarterfinal at 6 p.m.

Graham is third on the team this season in scoring at 12.6 points per game. He is first in assists (5.3 apg) and steals (1.5 spg). He is the only Warrior to start all 31 games this season.

The torn meniscus that wrecked his junior season has not been a factor in 2011-12.

Graham was cleared to resume basketball activities in the summer of 2011. He had a minor, unrelated injury to the same knee during preseason workouts, but it never forced the 6-footer to miss games.

"There was some rust on him," Wilson said. "He played in seven games until the beginning of June [of 2011]. This year, he re-learned everything coming from the University of New Hampshire. He's gotten better. He's playing with great tempo. He gives us toughness."

Graham, who transferred for the 2010-11 season, has been a defensive anchor for the Warriors as well.

"Our focus and defensive intensity, our team chemistry, it all connected the last three games," Graham said. "We've followed the game plan. That means a lot. It makes everybody's job much easier.

"[The injury] was one of the hardest things I've had to go through. I had to use it as a learning experience. I got to see a lot of things that I wouldn't usually see. I used it as a life lesson."

The Norristown native was stellar in the PSAC tournament. He averaged 14.3 points and 4.0 assists in the three games, including 19 points to equal his career high in an overtime win over host Kutztown in the quarterfinals.