SANTA CLARA, Calif. – It's official. Following an outstanding redshirt freshman season and strong showing at the 2026 NBA Draft Combine, Santa Clara men's basketball forward
Allen Graves is staying in the 2026 NBA Draft.
Widely projected as a mid-to-late first round pick, Graves is looking to become the third Bronco selected in the first round over the last five years, joining Jalen Williams (12
th) and Brandin Podziemski (19
th) in 2022 and 2023, respectively.
A two-time state champion at Ponchatoula High School in Louisiana, Graves originally signed with Santa Clara in 2024. After sitting out the 2024-25 season with a non-medical redshirt, he quickly established himself as one of the top players in the West Coast Conference in 2025-26, earning both WCC Freshman and Sixth Man of the Year honors after posting 11.8 points per game. Appearing in all 35 games with just four starts, Graves helped lead the Broncos to their second-most wins in program history (26), the most conference wins in program history (15), a spot in the WCC Tournament Final for the first time since 2007 and an at-large bid to the 2026 NCAA Tournament – the program's first bid since 1996.
"Allen was nothing short of exceptional in every aspect during his time with us at Santa Clara," head coach
Herb Sendek said. "His talent on the court is apparent, but he is equally impressive as a person with a wonderful spirit and personality that makes him a joy to be around. He has all of the necessary tools and traits to not only be a high draft pick, but to also have a very long and successful career in the NBA. Whichever team is fortunate enough to draft him is getting a remarkable talent. We wish Allen all the best as he gets ready to take the next step in what will be an outstanding professional career."
Graves, who won a program-record six WCC Freshman of the Week honors, ranked third on the team in scoring and was the Broncos' top rebounder at 6.5 boards per game. He also had a knack at capitalizing on takeaways with 67 total steals on the season, tied for the ninth-most in program history and tied with Baylor's Tounde Yessoufou for the most by a freshman in 2025-26.
Graves shot 51.2 percent from the floor and 41.3 percent from beyond the arc and reached double figure scoring in 26 games. He averaged 13.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists at the Credit Union 1 WCC Championship to earn All-Tournament honors, and had a memorable outing in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament against 7-seed Kentucky with 17 points and seven rebounds.
Graves' biggest game of the season came on Feb. 7, in Pullman, Washington against Washington State. The First Team All-WCC pick dropped a monster double-double of 30 points and 14 rebounds to help SCU secure a thrilling 96-92 victory. The performance not only will be remembered as one of the best by a freshman in program history, but also played a major role in capturing the attention of NBA scouts and executives as one of the first steps towards becoming a legit NBA prospect.
Graves will look to have his name called when the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft officially gets underway on June 23 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. First round coverage will be aired live on ABC and ESPN beginning at 5:00 p.m. PT.
