Torian Graham Scheduled For Surgery, But Hungry Like Never Before

NC State 2012 commit Torian Graham told us tonight that he will undergo a minor surgery on his knee on Thursday morning that will keep him out for 3-4 weeks.  According to Graham he has been suffering from tendinitis and blood clots in his knee for the past three years.  The doctors will be draining blood from his arm, separating the white blood cells from the red blood cells, and inserting the white blood cells into his knee.

“I’m real excited about getting healthy.  The injury has had a real big impact on my game.  It’s been holding me back.  The injury has affected my cutting, jumping and running.  My work ethic has suffered as a result of my knee.  I would have to take plays off because it was hurting,” Graham told us.   “Now I won’t have to.  I’ll be in the gym everyday, 2 or 3 times a day, working on my game.  I’ll come back stronger than ever.  My game is going to go up a couple of notches.  I’ve been playing hurt for about three years.  This is exciting.”

Graham is known for his high-flying athleticism.  When asked what this surgery could do for his already intimidating vertical jump, he seemed to think the sky was the limit.

“With the injury I can already jump and touch the top of the square on the backboard,” Graham said.  ”When I come back it’s going to be scary.”

Graham has had a monster Spring, earning a consensus 5-star ranking, clearly showing that he is one of the top-25 players in his class.  With the way he has been playing, it is quite likely that he will continue to see his stock rise even higher.  While Graham is excited to get back out on the court, he is going to make sure that he is fully healed before he hits the hardwood again.

“I’m just ready to get back on the circuit. I’ll be on the circuit and doing camps the whole month of July. I’ve got my work cut out for me,” Graham said.  ”I’m just going to try to work hard and get healthy as fast as I can. But I’m not going to rush back. If I’m hurting I’ll still sit out.”

The Wolfpack 2012 recruiting class of Graham and point guard Tyler Lewis is already creating national buzz.  ESPN ranks the 2-man class as the 6th best class in the country at this point.  Graham is excited about the future of playing alongside Lewis.

“Tyler and I talk a lot about how excited we are. It’s going to be crazy because Tyler is one of the best passers in the country,” Graham said. “With both of us running in transition it’s going to be scary. It’s real exciting.”

With that said, Graham is not settling.  He has big aspirations for the future of NC State and for his 2012 recruiting class in particular.

“I want to help put NC State back on the map. I want to bring the ACC championship and the NCAA championship back home.  I’m looking for Rodney Purvis and TJ Warren to join us. There is a real high chance both of them come to NC State. It’s going to be scary. They’re real excited.  They know what we could be. I’m hungry like never before.”

*Follow Torian on Twitter @TorianG4 and use his new hashtag #HungryLikeNeverBefore