A familiar former Mustang basketball star is helping younger players develop their skills while she waits      for an opportunity to showcase her own.

Ashley Graham, a 2003 Redmond High School (RHS) graduate who went on to star at Santa Clara University, is currently conducting weekly training sessions for RHS and fifth- and sixth-grade Redmond select team players with a focus on offensive skills.

The 27-year-old who played professionally overseas for three seasons will be the camp director of the Stangs’ summer basketball camps in June, when RHS coaches and players from both the boys’ and girls’ teams will teach players in third through eighth grades basic basketball skills. (See info box below story).

In addition, Graham is the trainer for Puget Sound Flight, an Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball program founded by former RHS coach Dennis Edwards, who coached Graham during her Mustang days.

“I like watching players improve,” said Graham, who started up her own basketball training business called Pinnacle Hoops last June. “I like watching players work hard and try to get better.”

But as much as she loves watching and helping, the crafty lefty loves playing even more.

While at RHS, the relentless gym rat with those spindly, long braids guided Redmond High to a state trophy three straight years, including a 2nd-place finish in 2001. As a senior at RHS, she was named the Kingco 4A MVP and a McDonald’s All-American nominee.

She went on to play at Santa Clara, where she is ranked 17th in all-time scoring (1,017 points), fifth in career assists (391) and first in games played (118).

WORLDLY WOMAN

Did you know Graham is also a Guinness World record holder?

Just last month she traveled to Rome and broke her own record for most free throws in  one minute by a female. In 2010, she sank 39 in a minute, breaking old the record of 38, held by WNBA player Becky Hammon. Then earlier this year, she was contacted by an Italian television program and invited to an event where seven different people attempted Guinness World records on television. Graham sank a new record 40 free throws in a minute with cameras and a live audience on hand.

“It was neat experience,” she said.

While the trip to Italy was fun, she said she really wants to get back to playing some full-court action again — wherever that may be.

Graham played professionally overseas for three seasons from 2007-10, playing in the foreign far reaches of Turkey, Belguim, Slovakia and Ukraine. After playing for Frankivsk in Ukraine in 2010, she had to have knee surgery and has not played since.

She returned to Redmond and has been doing the training gig for the last two years, but she is prepared to leave if her agent lands her a spot on a new pro team overseas.

“Training is something I want to continue when I’m done playing,” said Graham. “I’m trying to build (Pinnacle Hoops) as big as I can while I’m here and then if I end up leaving, that would be great. If I stay here, it’s something I really enjoy doing.”

Until she gets that call from her agent, Graham will be continue training current and future stars of the hardwood. Graham said she prefers personal training over coaching because she still considers herself a player, not a coach.

“It’s something I’m interested in,” Graham said of coaching. “But for now, what I love and maybe because I am still a player at heart, is the individual skill development. … I am always trying to be the best player I can be and that’s why I’m so interested in the personal training part of it.”

DEVELOPING SUCCESS

RHS girls’ basketball coach Andre Barashkoff said Graham’s training gives the girls another resource for development.

“She has a gentle style, yet very effective in getting the girls to understand the concepts she is teaching,” Barashkoff said. “It is nice for our players to hear another voice coming from a respected authority with a proven track record. We would love for Ashley to join our staff but she is content with her current situation.”

RHS junior Lauren Bogard, who plays both point guard and post for the Mustangs, said she has seen improvement in her game since she started training with Graham two years ago.

“It’s really helpful for me because I play all-around,” Bogard said. “I need to be able to dribble and she is really helpful with my ball control.”

Graham, who attended Audubon Elementary and Redmond junior and high schools, said she is honored to be able to help the same RHS program that helped her become a star. She said she wants to help generate more interest and get more girls to turn out for Redmond basketball programs.

But if she gets that call from her agent, she’s ready to pack her bags and travel thousands of miles and live in a foreign land to play the game she loves so much.

“I love it,” she said of playing overseas. “I miss home while I’m there and miss there while I’m home. It’s completely different, but I just love being able to play.”

Sign up for Stangs’ summer basketball camps

• Who: Boys and girls entering grades three through eight will be taught by RHS coaches and players

• When: June 26-29. Boys — 9 a.m.-noon; Girls — 12:30 p.m.-3 p.m.

• Where: Redmond High School, 17272 N.E. 104th St

• To register or get more info: Boys — redmondboysbasketball.com or email cindysw@frontier.com; Girls — rhshoopgirls.blogspot.com or katedunn1963@gmail.com