• Former McKinley High School guard Jahlil Graham is off to a strong start in his first season with the Mount Union men’s basketball team.
• Graham scored 12 points in Saturday’s 113-79 win over Pitt-Greensburg.
• In his collegiate debut, Graham scored 15 points in the Purple Raiders’ come-from-behind win over Gwynedd Mercy.

ALLIANCE — Jahlil Graham tackled college basketball at Mount Union from Day 1.

There was no gradual transition into the Purple Raiders rotation for the freshman guard out of McKinley High School. Graham was asked to play important minutes in the season opener, a game Mount Union had to fight back to win. Everything he did well mattered that night.

Graham already has given the Purple Raiders a couple of double-digit scoring games during the team’s 4-0 start. The latest came Saturday when he scored 12 points in Mount Union’s 113-79 win over Pitt-Greensburg in the home opener.

Yes, Graham represents the future at Mount Union. He is also a big part of the present.

“His energy from the first day he was here was just contagious for our guys,” head coach Mike Fuline said. “We have some older guys, and it’s nice to have some youth with some enthusiasm who can definitely contribute. He’s so athletic and gifted. His sky’s the limit. His maturity will grow.

“He has given us some great minutes, especially the first game. He really saved us.”

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The 2022-23 NCAA Division III national runner-up Purple Raiders were in danger of seeing the 2023-24 season start with a loss. They trailed Gwynedd Mercy by 17 points with just over 11 minutes left at the Chatham Tip-Off Classic.

Graham scored 10 of his 15 points in the final 9:04 of regulation to help Mount Union force overtime. He then scored the Purple Raiders’ first five points in overtime of an 89-82 win over the Griffins.

What kept the nerves from creeping in at the most important moment of Graham’s first college game?

“At the end of the day we’re still playing basketball,” Graham said. “Me being in the gym every day has been my confidence. If you continue to be in the gym, the results are going to show.”

Graham was one of Stark County’s top high school players last season. He averaged a team-leading 12.7 points and ranked third in the county in assists at 4.5 a game.

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The Purple Raiders are using Graham as their first man off the bench. He hit a couple of 3s and was 4-of-6 from the field in 14 minutes against Pitt-Greensburg.

“He hit a couple of 3s, but then his defense and pressure started to spark a little bit which was nice,” Fuline said. “He can guard.

“Sometimes for a freshman it’s a tough adjustment, but everyone in Stark County knows him. Everyone seems to love him. … The energy he just brings is good.”

Graham’s energy adds to an offensive attack that was fully efficient against Pitt-Greensburg.

Christian Parker scored 21 points to lead the Purple Raiders. Collen Gurley, who became the program’s career 3-point leader earlier in the week, finished with 14. Darrell Newsom also scored 12 points. Corey Hudson added 11.

With all this talent in the lineup, Graham knows he still has a shot to make an impact.

“The more players we have, the more opportunities we have scoring the basketball,” Graham said. “Having Collen in the corner, I can drive for an easy layup. Having CP right there, they don’t know who to guard. It’s easy for the offense to flow.”

Mount Union took command late in the first half and led 60-38 at halftime. Fuline was able to play 19 players. Sixteen scored.

It was a more relaxing outcome than the Gwynedd Mercy game or the other overtime game the Purple Raiders won at Scranton last week.

“We just needed a home game,” Fuline said. “We needed to feel our crowd. We needed to have our DJ there. We gave out the (national runner-up) rings. We had a little ceremony.

“It was a good day. It was a good feel. The vibes were good.”

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