Hall of Fame
John Lee Graves ’84 was a sensational, well-rounded student-athlete for Washington and Lee, earning four letters as a member of the men’s basketball program.
Graves served as a team captain for his senior season and he finished his career ranked seventh on the school’s all-time scoring list with 1,441 career points. He played in 105 career contests as a forward, posting career averages of 13.7 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. He shot an amazing 54.0 percent from the floor and 83.7 percent from the free throw line.
His impact on the program was immediately apparent, as he played in all 26 games as a rookie in 1981, shooting 58.5 percent from the floor while recording averages of 6.4 points and 3.7 rebounds per game.
Graves assumed the starting role as a sophomore and earned the W&L Basketball Award while guiding the Generals to a 21-7 overall record. He finished as the team’s leading scorer (13.4 ppg) and rebounder (7.4 rpg), while continuing to shoot better than 50 percent from the field (.515). Following the season, he was named Honorable Mention All-ODAC and garnered CoSIDA Honorable Mention Academic All-America laurels.
Graves’ statistics improved every season during his W&L career and his junior season was no different. He averaged 15.2 points and 6.7 rebounds per game, shooting 54.2 percent from the field.
His senior season was the true climax of his playing career. He posted career-best averages of 20.0 points and 7.9 rebounds per game, shooting 54.7 percent from the floor and a career-high 86.5 percent from the free throw line. Graves went on to earn his second W&L Basketball Award and he also received the Leigh Williams Award as the team’s most valuable player. He was named First Team All-ODAC, First Team All-South Atlantic Region and First Team All-State.
A member of Phi Beta Kappa, Graves’ accomplishments on the court and in the classroom were recognized in 1984 when he was awarded the prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship and he claimed the Doc Jopson Award as the top male scholar-athlete in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference.
Graves went on to serve as a medical officer within the United States Military and he received the National Defense Service Medal. Since 1997 he has been an orthopedic surgeon practicing in Greensboro, N.C., where he cares for among other patients, athletes in high school, college and the professional level.
