Hometown: Newport News, Va.
Education: B.S., Catawba, 2007
M.S, Hampton, 2019
Coaching: Associate Head Coach, Catawba, 2012-15
Head Coach, Bryant & Stratton, 2015-16
Assistant Coach, Hampton, 2016-18
Assistant Coach, Longwood, 2018-19
Assistant Coach, North Carolina Central, 2019-21
Assistant Coach, Western Carolina, 2021-2022
Director of Player Development, Longwood, 2022-23
Assistant Coach, Virginia State, 2023-24
Associate Head Coach, Hampton, 2024-present
A native of the 757, Brian Graves comes back to Hampton as the associate head coach under Coach Ivan Thomas. Graves has built his reputation on the recruiting trail bringing in nine players that went on to play professionally in a 12-year span. He most recently was an assistant coach at Virginia State.
During his time with the Trojans, the team became one of the best defensive squads at the Division II level. Virgina State held opponents to 41.1 percent shooting from the field which was the 17th best in the country. VSU also ranked 24th in the nation for three-point percentage defense (31.0 percent).
In his return to Farmville, Graves worked with the guards while serving as a mentor and helped build player relationships on the team. Two Lancers were selected to Big South All-Conference teams. Under Graves's direction, he helped Isaiah Wilkins become a first-team selection, and honorable mention DeShaun Wade.
Prior to returning to Longwood, he spent one season at Western Carolina as an assistant and two years at North Carolina Central. During his time the Eagles, the program won the 2019-20 MEAC regular season title.
Before arriving to Durham, Graves started his first stint with the Lancers. Longwood made its first-ever College Basketball Invitational Tournament. The Lancers 2019 tournament run saw the team capture their first postseason win defeating Southern Mississippi 90-68 in the first round. During this stint at Longwood, the program also had its first consecutive 20-win season.
The Newport News, native’s first stint with the Pirates proved to be successful with Hampton producing back-to-back top-three conference finishes in the MEAC. Graves recruited the Pirates all-time leading scorer and assists leader Jermaine Marrow. He also brought in notable players such as Malique Trent and Ben Stanley. HU made the CBI Tournament in 2017 and the 2018 National Invitation Tournament. Hampton amassed a record of 23-9 in the MEAC while winning a share of the regular season title in 2017-18. During the same campaign, the Pirates reached the MEAC Tournament championship game.
Graves got his first shot as a head coach leading Bryant & Stratton to a 19-11 record. Three of his players went to sign with four-year institutions, most notably Hampton signee Greg Heckstall. Heckstall would go on to have a professional career playing overseas.
That head coaching stint was after his first stop as a collegiate coach was at his alma mater Catawba. As an associate head coach of the Indians, Graves recruited numerous impact players such as 2015 South Atlantic Conference Freshman of the Year Jerrin Morrison. Two more Indians would receive all-conference honors under Graves. Catawba improved across the board during his tenure. The Indians secured 11 conference wins which was the program's most since the 2009-10 season.
Before joining the coaching ranks at Catawba, Graves was a decorated athlete winning numerous honors and accolades for the Indians from 2003-07. He started at point guard all four years, captaining the team twice, and earned three All-SAC selections. Graves was a first-team honoree in his junior and senior seasons. Tallying 600 assists in his career, he leads the SAC all-time and is second in league history for assists in a single season with 203. The highly effective distributor is currently second all-time at Catawba for assists and steals. With Graves high level of play the Indians won two conference titles and one tournament title while making three NCAA appearances. He finished his collegiate career as a 1,000-point scorer accumulating 1,380 points.
Following his college playing career, Graves went on to the professional ranks, playing for the Grevenbroich Elephants in Germany in 2007-08 and 2009-10, the Vermont Frost Heaves in the Premier Basketball League in 2009, and the Tru Hope Trailblazers in the Atlantic Coast Professional Basketball League from 2010-11. He captained both Grevenbroich and Tru Hope and earned all-league honors at both stops, including German All-Regionalliga West first-team honors in 2010 and All-ACPBL second-team recognition in 2011.
Graves entered the coaching ranks as the junior varsity head coach at Heritage High School from 2010-12. In 2011 he led the team to the Peninsula District Championship. Graves also was a player at Heritage appearing in two state tournaments.
Graves is from Newport News, Va., and is married to Gabrielle Graves. The couple has a 12-year-old son Brian “BJ” Graves Jr. Graves goal is to leave a lasting impact on as many student-athletes as possible throughout his coaching career.
