Albany native, Green Tech grad U-Mier Graham ready to contribute immediately for UAlbany men's basketball

ALBANY - Nagging injuries have made it tough for the University at Albany men's basketball team to consistently do 5-on-5 work this preseason.

On one of those rare occasions last week when the Great Danes did get to do just that, though, one of the members playing among the presumed starting five was a bit surprising.

Freshman forward U-Mier Graham, an Albany native and former Green Tech High standout, was part of UAlbany's first unit playing power forward. He was joined in the frontcourt by Erwann Bussing and Papa Kounta, with Ollie Engen and fellow Albany native Zacharie Matulu at the guard spots.

There's no guarantee that the 6-foot-7 Graham will be in the starting lineup when UAlbany opens its season Nov. 2 against Rhode Island College, especially as fellow forwards Abdoulaye Fall and Pedro Santos make their way back from injury, but the freshman has been one of the players who has impressed UAlbany coach Dwayne Killings the most since arriving on campus.

"He's played really well at the four and the five," Killings said.

In high school, Graham was a Times Union all-star as both a junior and a senior, averaging double-digit points and rebounds in both campaigns. As a junior in 2024, he helped lead Green Tech to a Class AAA state championship, while his senior season ended with a Section 2 final loss to eventual state champion Shaker.

Graham then spent a post-graduate year at The Knox School on Long Island playing under Jared Grasso, the former head coach at UAlbany's America East rival Bryant.

That post-grad season helped Graham expand his on-court game, but it was his growth from being away from home that aided the forward most in his transition to college basketball.

"It gave me a chance to learn how to be away from my family for a long time," he said. "I just knew that I could always look for my teammates - my brothers - and make sure that we're connected."

Like Matulu, a Shaker High grad and UAlbany's top returning scorer, Graham said he's thrilled to be playing at home in front of local crowds, with friends and family easily able to attend the Great Danes' home games at Broadview Center.

But, Graham said, he's also adamant in keeping his home life and his basketball life as separate entities to avoid distractions.

"I'm glad to be back home, but it's good that I separate home from basketball, because I'm here to do a job," he said. "I'm here to work. That's the goal."

Since the summer, Graham's work has drawn rave reviews from Killings. At Green Tech, he was almost exclusively a center, but he arrived on UAlbany's campus with a more refined all-around game that should make him difficult to handle for fellow America East frontcourt players.

"He just plays with a level of toughness. He rebounds. He's a tough positional guard," Killings said. "When you come out and you're guarding him with a four, he can post you up a little bit. When you put him with a five, he can facilitate a little bit."

Graham is a player, Killings said, who embodies two of the core principles of this season's UAlbany team - maximizing talent and playing with immense energy.

"When the curtain goes up," Killings said of the 2026-27 Great Danes, "they're going to be ready to compete with every piece of energy, with every piece of heart, that they have."

Start times for home games announced

UAlbany recently announced the tip-off times for all home men's and women's basketball games during the 2026-27 team. Single-game tickets for both men's and women's contests are available through the UAlbany website.

UAlbany men's basketball home schedule

• Nov. 2: vs. Rhode Island College, 6:30 p.m.
• Nov. 8: vs. Merrimack, 2 p.m.
• Nov. 11: vs. Dartmouth, 1 p.m.
• Dec. 5: vs. Army West Point, 7 p.m.
• Dec. 12: vs. Siena, 7 p.m.
• Dec. 29: vs. Columbia, 6:30 p.m.
• Jan. 7: vs. Bryant, 6:30 p.m.
• Jan. 9: vs. Binghamton, 4 p.m.
• Jan. 21: vs. New Hampshire, 6:30 p.m.
• Jan. 23: vs. Maine, 2 p.m.
• Feb. 4: vs. NJIT, 6:30 p.m.
• Feb. 6: vs. UMBC, 7 p.m.
• Feb. 13: vs. Vermont, 7 p.m.
• March 2: vs. UMass Lowell, 6:30 p.m.

UAlbany women's basketball home schedule

• Oct. 29: vs. St. Thomas Aquinas (exhibition), 6:30 p.m.
• Nov. 5: vs. Manhattan, 6:30 p.m.
• Nov. 18: vs. Bucknell, 11 a.m.
• Nov. 21: vs. Cornell, 2 p.m.
• Nov. 25: vs. Union, 2 p.m.
• Nov. 29: vs. Stonehill, 2 p.m.
• Dec. 8: vs. Colgate, 6:30 p.m.
• Dec. 19: vs. St. Bonaventure, 2 p.m.
• Jan. 9: vs. Binghamton, 1 p.m.
• Jan. 14: vs. NJIT, 6:30 p.m.
• Jan. 16: vs. UMBC, 2 p.m.
• Jan. 28: vs. UMass Lowell, 6:30 p.m.
• Jan. 30: vs. Vermont, 2 p.m.
• Feb. 1: vs. Bryant, 11 a.m.
• Feb. 25: vs. New Hampshire, 6:30 p.m.
• Feb. 27: vs. Maine, 7 p.m.

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This article originally published at Albany native, Green Tech grad U-Mier Graham ready to contribute immediately for UAlbany men's basketball.