(Travis Grayson pictured during the Noblesville Holiday Tournament)

 

Senior point guard Travis Grayson has Chesterton 11-0 this season and ranked in the top five of 4A. He is building his case to be an Indiana All-Star, and the state should take notice of the Chesterton product.

 

Grayson, a four-year varsity player for Chesterton, recently scored his 1,000th career point. During that time, the Trojans are 69-17, along with its first sectional title since 1987. He has undoubtedly elevated a program featuring past players Matt Nover, Brett Buscher, Zack Novak, Mitch McGary, Chris Palombizio, Matt Holba, and Jake Wadding.

 

“He is so bought into Chesterton,” said Trojan head coach Marc Urban. “With all the prep school stuff going on, he loves this program, loves this team, and I can go on and on about the impact he has on our community and our younger kids that look up to him.”

 

Speaking of the program, Grayson believes this squad is the best to ever play at Chesterton.

 

“We are playing really good as a team right now,” Grayson told Indiana Basketball Source. “Coach (Urban) is getting us right. I think this is the best team that Chesterton has ever had.”

 

One of the reasons why Grayson feels that way is the December victory over Purdue signee Fletcher Loyer and Homestead at the Champions of Character event at Grace College.

 

“That was a big win because the past four years that I’ve been playing with Chesterton, we have always played a top-three team and always lost,” said Grayson. “Like my first year, we played Lawrence Central, and they had Nijel Pack, Dre Davis, and then we played Blackhawk Christian (Caleb Furst), and we always lost to a top team. So that win was big because we finally got over the hump. We put ourselves up there with the best teams in the state.”

 

In the win over Homestead, Grayson pushed Chesterton to the win on both ends of the court. He finished with 23 points, three assists, three rebounds, and two steals. Grayson also defended Loyer for most of the game and forced him into an 8-19 shooting performance.

 

“It was fun,” Grayson said of his match-up with Loyer. “It’s always good to go against other good players. I felt I played really good defense against him.”

 

Throughout his high school career, Grayson played numerous roles for the Trojans. Early, he played with Wadding (Grace College) and took a secondary role. As a junior and senior, Grayson is a leader and go-to scorer, but he excelled in every position that he filled.

 

“Junior year, it was really different because it was my first time being that main guy for a team, especially on the varsity level,” Grayson said. “It was different, and I had some times struggling with it. Then my senior year, I realized that it’s not all about scoring and all about looking good. It’s about being a point guard and doing what your team needs you to do to win that game.”

 

Urban, 106-30 in six years at Chesterton, has seen Grayson’s game progress yearly with Chesterton.

 

“His basketball IQ has taken the next step, where he understands that he controls the game,” said Urban. “His ability to drive the basketball. He can score when he needs to and pass out when needed, and his decision-making has been really good. His shot has gotten a lot better. He has adjusted a few things, and I think he is shooting close to 85 percent from the free-throw line.”

 

Before Chesterton played Merrillville on Saturday, Grayson averaged 17.9 points, 6.3 assists, and 3.0 steals per game. Over that ten-game sample, he shot 35.7 percent from three and 84.5 percent from the free-throw line.

 

Grayson’s shooting was a weakness early in his high school, and opponents would sag off him on the perimeter to contain him off the dribble. That is not the case anymore, as Grayson has developed into a three-point threat.

 

He points to a mechanical change that propelled his improvement.

 

“My shooting technique was kind of off,” said Grayson. “So, I had to move my left hand up some (on the ball), so I can get the whole ball under my right hand and shoot with good rotation. I’ve just been working on that ever since the summer. Coach Urban has really put in the work with me. My trainers, I’ve just been shooting the ball.”

 

Although his shooting is improved, Grayson’s slashing ability is what keeps opposing coaches up at night. Once he gets to the paint, Grayson finishes at a high level as he uses his body exceptionally well. He is also showing great vision and passing ability while attacking the basket. Grayson had numerous drop-off passes in the lane during the Noblesville Holiday Tournament. He threaded pass after pass to the Chesterton frontcourt for easy scores.

 

After Chesterton won the Noblesville Holiday Tournament, Grayson won the MVP award from the event.

 

“If you saw Travis Grayson for the first time at the start of the season, you would be like, ‘How does he not have more (college scholarship) offers?’ He is running our team. His leadership has been off the chart,” said Urban. “We are winning, and he is averaging seven or eight assists a game that are just making us go. And on the defensive end, he has been really, really good. He’s been able to guard at a high level. He’s defended some really good guys and been able to stay out of foul trouble.”

 

Midway through his senior year, Grayson regularly talks with IU-South Bend, Purdue-Northwest, Trinity Christian, and St. Xavier. He also hears from Grace and Bethel from the NAIA powerhouse Crossroads League. D1 Incarnate Word saw him against Andrean in December and walked away impressed.

 

Off the court, Grayson is a strong student that takes AP classes at Chesterton. Of course, every high school player wants to play at the highest collegiate level possible, but Grayson is not getting caught up in labels.

 

“I don’t have a problem with it (playing NAIA), but my main thing is going to school for free,” Grayson told Indiana Basketball Source. “I don’t want my parents to pay for anything, and wherever I go, I want to get there and play.”

 

Those opportunities will continue to grow if Chesterton remains near the top of the 4A rankings the rest of the season and the Trojans advance in the state tournament. However, no matter what happens the rest of the way, Grayson’s impact on the Chesterton program and community cannot be understated.

 

“He’s the nicest the kid you can possibly be around, but he embraces that, so I think that is part of the chip on his shoulder,” Urban said. “He feels he is that important to our program to represent it the right way. As his coach, I could not be prouder of the kid, and I feel very, very lucky to be able to coach him.”