Graham Ian Hunter (born 17 May 1982 in

Rutherglen Rutherglen (; , ) is a town in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, immediately south-east of the city of Glasgow, from its centre and directly south of the River Clyde. Having previously existed as a separate Lanarkshire burgh, in 1975 Rutherglen lo ...

) is a Scottish former professional basketball player.

Early career

Hunter has been a basketball traveller from an early age netting a chance at just 16 to play and study in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

for

Ukiah High School Ukiah High School (also referred to as UHS or "Ukiahi") is the oldest public high school in Ukiah, California, Ukiah, California, the county seat, seat of Mendocino County, California, Mendocino County. Established in 1893, it is the largest scho ...

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

in 1998. Immediately taking charge of his team becoming an instant starter and captain of the Ukiah Cougars, Hunter was named the team's

Most Valuable Player In team sports, a most valuable player (MVP) award is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particular competition, or ...

for the season. The Cougars did not have a great side, however Hunter was able to generate interest from the

University of Portland The University of Portland (UP) is a private Catholic university in Portland, Oregon, United States. It was founded in 1901 and is affiliated with the Congregation of Holy Cross, which also founded UP's sister school, the University of Notre Da ...

(NCAA 1),

Oregon State University Oregon State University (OSU) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate degree programs and a variety of graduate and doctor ...

(NCAA 1) and a number of junior colleges. Hunter was also selected to represent Oregon in the 1999 USA Junior Nationals which was held in

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. It was at Ukiah that Hunter started making real progress, reported in the Sunday Mail:

I'd get up at 5am and shoot for two hours then go to class. That's where I developed my shot.

Returning to

Blantyre Blantyre is Malawi's centre of finance and commerce, and its second largest city, with a population of 800,264 . It is sometimes referred to as the commercial and industrial capital of Malawi as opposed to the political capital, Lilongwe. It is ...

in 1999 to finish high school, Hunter played for the Troon Tornadoes under 18s, under 21s, and senior men. A notable player to the club contributing to a very successful season for the Tornadoes in which they won the Scottish under 21s Cup, and at under 18s level winning the Scottish Cup,

Scottish Men's National League The Scottish Basketball Championship Men is the national basketball league of Scotland. The league forms the second and third tiers of British basketball (inline with the National Basketball League) after the professional setup of Super League ...

, Strathclyde League, and was also selected to represent Scotland national basketball team.What it feels like to ... be a basketball star
Garry Scott, The Herald, 25 July 2015

Later career

Hunter again moved, committing to the East Durham National Basketball Academy in 2001. After two years at the sporting school Hunter returned to the

to take on a full

athletic scholarship An athletic scholarship is a form of scholarship to attend a college or university or a private school, private high school awarded to an individual based predominantly on their ability to play in a sport. Athletic scholarships are common in the U ...

in 2003 at the

University of Maine at Augusta The University of Maine at Augusta (UMaine Augusta or UMA) is a public college in Augusta, Maine, United States. It is part of the University of Maine System. UMA provides baccalaureate and select associate degrees and master's degrees for re ...

but left prematurely after his freshman year due to a prolonged injury and subsequent surgery. Again globetrotting, however to

Andorra Andorra, officially the Principality of Andorra, is a Sovereignty, sovereign landlocked country on the Iberian Peninsula, in the eastern Pyrenees in Southwestern Europe, Andorra–France border, bordered by France to the north and Spain to A ...

this time to attend TBCA basketball summer camp 2006. Again impressing scouts and agents, Hunter sparked interest which progressed to a professional contract.

Professional career

He started his professional career upon signing with

Club Baloncesto Ponfferada Club may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Club'' (magazine) * Club, a ''Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character * Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards * Club music * "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea'' Brands and enterprises * ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

, in 2006. For reasons unknown Hunter transferred home to Glasgow to play for the well respected

Scottish Rocks The Caledonia Gladiators are a Scottish professional basketball club based in East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire and are the only Scotland-based team in Super League Basketball, the top tier of domestic basketball in the United Kingdom. Founde ...

. Competing in the

British Basketball League The British Basketball League (BBL) was a men's professional basketball sports league, league in Great Britain. Since its establishment in 1987 the BBL represented the highest level of basketball competition within the United Kingdom. The orga ...

, the Rocks finished as runners-up in the BBL Trophy and BBL Cup in 2007. After spending the summer with the Scotland senior men squad, Hunter then signed for another team in Spain,

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, and is currently playing for St Mirren Saints Basketball Club in the Scottish Men's National League.

Scholarship

Upon Hunter's return to Glasgow, he was offered a number of opportunities across the United Kingdom, however committed to a sports scholarship combined with the first Lisa Wilson Memorial sports scholarship in 2004 to

Southampton Solent University Southampton Solent University (formerly and commonly known as Solent University) is a public university based in Southampton, United Kingdom. It has approximately 10,500 students (2019/20). Its main campus is located on East Park Terrace near ...

(formerly

Southampton Institute Southampton Solent University (formerly and commonly known as Solent University) is a public university based in Southampton, United Kingdom. It has approximately 10,500 students (2019/20). Its main campus is located on East Park Terrace near ...

). Hunter admits he struggled through injury upon arrival, however stated it was his time in

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

that allowed him to regain his skills and confidence after snapping his fifth

metatarsal The metatarsal bones or metatarsus (: metatarsi) are a group of five long bones in the midfoot, located between the tarsal bones (which form the heel and the ankle) and the phalanges ( toes). Lacking individual names, the metatarsal bones are ...

in 2003. Competing in the BUSA Premier South Conference, and also in the

English Basketball League The National Basketball League, or NBL for short, is a league competition representing semi-professional and amateur basketball clubs from England and Wales. It forms levels 2 to 5 on the British basketball pyramid, in line with the Scottish B ...

, Division 1, for the

Solent Stars The Solent Stars were a basketball club from Southampton, who were one of the founder members of the British Basketball League, where they competed from 1987 to 1990. For the rest of their existence, the club competed in the English Basketball ...

. He later operated 'Reach For The Stars Basketball' a community coaching initiative for children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hunter, Graham Sportspeople from Blantyre, South Lanarkshire 1982 births Living people Scottish men's basketball players Caledonia Gladiators players Alumni of Southampton Solent University University of Maine at Augusta alumni British expatriate basketball people in Spain Scottish expatriate sportspeople in Spain British expatriate basketball people in the United States Scottish expatriate sportspeople in the United States 21st-century Scottish sportsmen