Jada Graves Named CSC First Team Academic All-American

Sophomore guard Jada Graves earned her final accolade with the Thunderbirds when she was named a CSC First Team Academic All-American on Tuesday, July 7th.

Jada Graves is just the second Thunderbird to earn CSC Academic All-American honors. Cross country and track & field distance runner Damaris Chewon earned the award in 2023.

"What an incredible honor to cap off one of the most decorated careers in NMJC history," NMJC women's basketball head coach Austin Mefford said. "Jada is a coaches' dream, she is the role model of what we all want out of a student athlete. On the court she was the best player in the country this past season and made all of her teammates better players as well. In the classroom she excelled, not just taking regular courses but animal science courses that are preparing her to be a veterinarian. The fact she was a perfect 4.0 this school year and a 3.96 over the last two years, is just another example of who Jada is. We are excited to see what she can accomplish at Lamar University and on and off the court." 

Jada Graves was prolific in her second season with NMJC earning the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Two-year College Player of the Year, NJCAA Second Team All-American, All-Region V, WJCAC All-Conference, and WJCAC Defensive Player of the Year.

In March of 2026, Graves helped lead NMJC to their second-ever NJCAA National Championship appearance and was voted to the NJCAA All-Tournament Team.

Graves tied the school record with 41 points in a win over No. 1 South Plains on the road in January and led NMJC to a victory against No. 1 Butler in the national tournament in March.

Graves set the mark for most points per game in program history at 18.9 points and the most points in a single season at 642. The Amarillo, Texas native owns the NMJC single-season assist record at 233 and is the NMJC all-time assists leader at 359. Graves also ended the 2025-26 season No. 3 in the NJCAA for assists trailing second place by one assist, and first place by two.

The WBCA Player of the Year is a standout in the classroom with a 3.96 GPA earning NJCAA All-Academic Second Team honors in 2025. Graves ends her NMJC women's basketball career as one of the most decorated athletes in school history and will attend Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas.