Graham fulfills lifelong dream

Orlando (Fla.) First Academy shooting guard Dillon Graham saw a life long dream come true this week when he publicly committed to play for the Florida Gators.

"It's been my dream school since I was a little kid," Graham said of the Gators. "When they finally offered me, I was thrilled. I can't turn that down. They made my dreams come true."

Childhood dreams aside, Graham went a little more in-depth about the decision to become a Gator.

"I thought it was the best decision for me," explained Graham. "I felt comfortable in making this commitment to the University of Florida. Coach Billy Donovan and Coach Matt McCall did everything they could to make me feel comfortable and they're both great coaches and great guys to I decided to make the commitment."

Though he is only rated a three-star prospect by Rivals.com, Graham has an impressive offer list, choosing Florida over traditional basketball powers such as Louisville and Kansas. He also sported offers from the likes of Georgia, Maryland, Florida State and several others.

Two weeks ago when Graham unofficially visited Florida while being escorted around by two coaches, he saw what he needed to see in order to put UF over the top.

"Coach Donovan and coach McCall took me around campus a little bit and I got to see them work on individuals [drills]. I got to see some of the stuff they do, how hard they work with the players. That was enough for me."

Just a few short months ago the thought of being shown this much attention by a team such as Florida, much less being offered seemed to be out of the question.

The 6-foot-3 bomber was all but an unknown.

Then, he hit the AAU summer circuit.

"He blew up quick," Florida Rams AAU coach Jeff Simmons told GoPowerCat. "It was his consistency that did it. He scored over 20 per game with us. While we were in Indianapolis, he shot over 65 percent from three. He's been doing that, though. It wasn't until now that he really had a chance to showcase it, though. The right people finally saw it."

Rivals.com basketball recruiting analyst Jerry Meyer likes what he has seen so far.

"Florida is getting an outstanding shooter in Graham," said Meyer. "He also has some athletic bounce in his game and isn't afraid to compete. I can see Florida utilizing him in a way where he can make a positive contribution to the program."