‘UNDER THE RADAR’

Bauxite player puts down new roots, earns honors

Graham Chenault seemed destined to keep the Chenault tradition at Benton schools alive. His parents both graduated from Benton High School, and Chenault’s late grandfather, Corky, was a longtime superintendent there. Chenault’s aunt Karla Neathery is the Benton School District assistant superintendent, and his uncle Scott Neathery is a former Benton High School football coach and current athletic director. Chenault attended Benton schools until he completed his sophomore year, but when his mom, Karen, took a job as a physical education/health teacher and junior high cheer and cross-country coach at Bauxite, he and his brother Max followed their mom to Bauxite High School. Graham Chenault made a smooth transition to the smaller neighboring district and excelled on the court for the Miners. The 6-foot-2, 175-pound guard is the Tri-Lakes Edition Boys Basketball Player to Watch and averaged 17.9 points, 4 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. The Miners (23-11) executed one of their more successful seasons in recent memory, beating Huntsville in the first round of the Class 4A state tournament before losing to eventual state champion Baptist Prep for the third time in the season. “He came in and really bought in last season,” Bauxite coach Andy Brakebill said. “He is a typical gym rat. He and his brother both live in the gym. He puts the time in, and it showed.” While his roots lie in Benton, Chenault took advantage of some opportunities in his new home he couldn’t have experienced in his hometown. “I was kind of excited to meet some new people and experience some new things,” he said. “What was really exciting is I knew I would get to play with my brother for two years. If we hadn’t moved, I would have only played with him for one. That’s one of the reasons we wanted to move.” Helping Bauxite win its first state-tournament game in school history was one of the first of what Chenault hopes are many highlights. “I was just glad to contribute in any way I could,” he said. Chenault, who shot 86 percent from the free-throw line last year, finished the season with all-conference and all-state honors, but his season didn’t come without some adjustments. “I struggled the first part of last year. I played defense really well, but I was struggling scoring the ball,” Chenault said. “Toward the middle of the year, I was doing both.” Chenault shined in the district and regional tournaments but didn’t play as well when the Miners advanced. “I just think at the state tournament, he started pressing a little and kind of got flustered,” Brakebill said. The third loss to Baptist Prep and its standout big man, Connor Vanover, who is committed to the University of Memphis, was even harder to swallow, with Bauxite having led in the third quarter. Not playing well in that game stuck with Chenault all offseason. “[The state-tournament loss] motivates me every day, the way we lost to Baptist Prep, and losing to them three times,” Chenault said. “Hopefully, we can beat them a couple of times this year. We are focused on trying to go further in the state tournament this year.” The work Chenault put in this summer has already shown in preseason workouts. “Graham is a very versatile player and has already improved from last year on being able to go inside,”

Brakebill said. “He has filled out and gotten a lot stronger.” Chenault, who shot 37 percent from the 3-point line last year, can play both guard spots and small forward for the Miners. He projects as an off guard at the college level and already has offers from NCAA Division II Henderson State and NAIA Lyon College. “He is going to have to continue to play well. He was kind of hidden under the radar last year,” Brakebill said. “He started the year really slow but came on really strong around Christmas break. If he continues to work hard, he will possibly get some more offers.” Earning a college basketball scholarship is a dream come true for Chenault, who owns a 3.8 GPA and scored a 24 on the ACT. “I want to go anywhere I can get a full scholarship,” he said. “I don’t want my parents to pay. I feel obligated to work to pay for it on my own. They have done so much for me.” Before Chenault achieves that goal, he wants to take care of unfinished business at Bauxite. The Chenault name is prominent in Benton history. He hopes it will be appear in the record books at Bauxite, too. “It’s extremely exciting to be playing my senior year [at Bauxite],” Chenault said. “I just want to do whatever I can. I am going to leave it all on the court, and hopefully, it will pay off.”