Lake Norman Publications

Worland facilitates guard-heavy Huskies


Graham Worland enters his third season as the Hough point guard. /Doug Coats

CORNELIUS – Hough used the strength of its frontcourt to finish third in the I-Meck a year ago, but Graham Worland still showed off his multidimensional arsenal in the biggest games.

The unquestionable leader of the Huskies’ backcourt, the junior is coming off an all-conference performance where he averaged 10 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists per game. Hough coach Jason Grube is proud of the development from a player in his third year as a starter who made the playoffs the last two years, including a run to the third round last winter.

“He came in his freshman year, played mostly perimeter and was kind of one-dimensional,” Grube said. “What we do here, we want everybody to handle the ball, pass the ball. He wants to be a college basketball player, and to do that you’ve got to work your craft, and he’s worked his craft.”

As a freshman, Worland entered the program having been on “Team 2” during Grube’s team camps, not expected to make an immediate impact with the Huskies. But following an injury to Maye early in the season, became a top-three option. He had two different 18-point outings as a freshman, including in a 1-point, last-second win over Lake Norman.

Last season against the state’s best he came up big in Hough’s nail-biting losses to North Meck. He averaged more than 16 in the three outings, including 17 in the overtime thriller in the I-Meck tournament semifinal.

“Those games made us hungrier,” Worland said. “We know we can play with anyone. We’re always going to hang with those teams, because I feel like we’re better. We’re not satisfied with losing by 2 to North Meck.”

In a world of ever-ending connectivity, Worland admits he tries to stay off social media, especially quick-video app TikTok. Beyond that focus, at 6-foot-5, he holds a height advantage over many guarding him.

“I’m going to do a much better job this year with that, trying to run plays in positions where I can score the ball on top of the guy more easily,” he said.

That’s just one aspect of Worland’s game that Grube sees that the NBA’s best also features. His favorite player is none other than LeBron James.

“He rebounds, defends, facilitates, scores, drives it,” Grube said. “Graham’s like him, he does a lot of everything.”

The Worland File

State Class Rank: 96

Drive on I-77 toll lanes? “I never do that. My parents would get mad.”

Favorite NBA player: LeBron James

Last time received basketball for Christmas: 2020 (Evolution)

Go-to Cookout order: Chicken tenders, fries, cheese bites, bottled water

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