Whether he was coaching from the sidelines or encouraging from the stands, Arvesta Kelly has remained consistent with some advice for his grandson over the years.
 
"I always wanted him to shoot more," he said. "Raijon has always been a team player who looks to pass to his teammates more than shoot. He can shoot the ball though."
 
Raijon Kelly, who has hit 60.3 percent of his shots for Angelo State and is averaging 9.6 points and 4.4 assists per game, was educated about the game of basketball from his grandfather who played five seasons in the American Basketball Association (ABA) and then overseas. Arvesta coached Raijon as an assistant coach at Cretin-Derham Hall High School in St. Paul, Minnesota and has remained a mentor and voice of encouragement throughout his lifetime. 
 
"A lot of people say I have an old-school game and I know I got that from him," Raijon Kelly said. "You'd be doing yourself a disservice to have a professional in your house like I did and not take advantage or appreciate it. I see myself doing some things on the court and know where it came from."
 
Along with his advice about basketball, Arvesta has helped guide Raijon through some of his toughest decisions. Raijon is in his first season at ASU after playing the past three years at Samford University where a coach's decision following his junior season forced him to search for another school to play his senior season. Despite three seasons of individual success on the court, which included establishing the school's all-time single-season assists record and earning all-conference honors, Raijon was now tasked with finding a new school and team.
 
Tough times pass. Tough people last.
 
"I was really proud of his reaction to it," Arvesta Kelly said. "I was probably more upset about it than he was. He always stayed positive throughout that time. I had situations like that too in my career and just told him to keep his head up and hope for the best. He did that and I couldn't be more proud of the way he carried himself. It was a tough decision, but he loves it at Angelo State now. The coaches have really treated him great and the team is really coming together. He's going to graduate and they're winning, so it's turned into a real positive."
 
Arvesta Kelly, who grew up in Mississippi, earned all-American honors at Lincoln University in Jefferson, Missouri where he was inducted into the LU Hall of Fame in 2013 after establishing the program record with 1,853 career points (21.2 per game) and leading his team to 62 wins from 1963-67. Kelly was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pipers of the ABA in 1967 and also by the St. Louis Hawks of the NBA as a shooting guard – the position Raijon now plays at Angelo State. He decided to play in the ABA where the Pipers won the inaugural ABA Championship in a seven-game series over the New Orleans Buccaneers in 1968 during his rookie season. The Pipers, coming off a 54-24 record and winning the championship, moved their franchise and Kelly to his eventual permanent home of Minnesota for the 1968-69 season, but then back to Pittsburgh where the team name was changed to the Condors and he would produce his most successful individual season by averaging 13.7 points per game. He was once again an ABA champion in 1972 as a member of the Indiana Pacers in his final year in the association and then travelled overseas to play two years in Munich, Germany before multiple knee injuries and surgeries forced him into retirement. 
 
"It was quite an experience to play with so many great players at that level," said Arvesta Kelly, who was the Director of Recreation in St. Paul for 35 years after retiring from basketball. "I played with Connie Hawkins and Mel Daniels who are both in the Basketball Hall of Fame. I was a part of some great teams and played against some legends of the game. That was a heck of an experience and I realize how blessed I was. Basketball allowed me to be able to travel and meet so many people that I never would have been able to without the game."
 
"Raijon has a special relationship with his grandfather," ASU head coach Chris Beard said. "Mr. Kelly is a cool guy. We really enjoyed the recruiting process with Raijon and developing a relationship with his grandfather. Mr. Kelly is a ball player. I wish he still had eligibility left. His influence on Raijon is very strong and it can be seen easily through Raijon's maturity and character."
 

Retired, but still with a passion for the game of basketball, Arvesta Kelly was an assistant coach at Cretin-Derham Hall during Raijon's high school career. With one Kelly coaching and another on the court, Cretin-Derham reached the state semifinals during Raijon's senior season. He would earn two All-State honors during his high school career which ended with him averaging 16 points and five assists per game as a senior and as the school's third all-time leading scorer at 1,304 career points.
 
"He's always been a strong player with a lot of talent who could shoot and pass really well," Arvesta Kelly said. "He was always really easy for me to coach. He would listen and ask questions and always wanted to know more about the game. He has always wanted to get his teammates involved in the game though and understood that's how you win games."
 
"My grandfather taught me everything from how to shoot, to playing defense, dribbling, passing and everything else about the game and a lot about life," Raijon added. "I would ask him to tell me stories about his playing days and was just blown away. He played with some of the best players who have ever been in the game and had some unbelievable experiences. He played against guys like Dr. J (Julius Erving) and George Gervin. That's always been pretty cool for me to think about."
 
Raijon's success on the court in high school attracted minimal attention from big schools, but he would sign with Samford University, a Division I program in Birmingham, Alabama which has advanced to two NCAA tournaments in its program history. The Bulldogs offered Kelly the opportunity to showcase his talents among some of the elite programs in the nation, and Kelly quickly took full advantage of that opportunity and earned a spot on the Southern Conference's All-Freshman Team after the 2011-12 season where he averaged 9.4 points per game. His sophomore season was even better. He averaged 14.1 points per game and established the program's all-time single-season record with 151 assists during the season. He was named to the All-SOCON Team after a campaign which included scoring 27 points against Chattanooga in a conference game, 14 points against Kentucky at Rupp Arena and 11 points against the eventual nation champion Louisville Cardinals. The sophomore season included 28 double-figure scoring performances and led him into a junior season where he would average 10.1 points and 2.5 assists per game. Kelly would finish his final year in Birmingham with 17 double-figure scoring games, including a 21-point game against Austin Peay where he hit five 3-pointers and recorded back-to-back 19-point games against Davidson and Furman during a string of five straight double-digit scoring performances. A starter in 12 of 33 games, Kelly finished the season second on the team with 84 assists and was third in scoring.    
 

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Despite the three seasons of success at Samford, Raijon was faced with a dilemma when a coach's decision was made that he wouldn't be coming back. A new recruiting process, which was heavier than his initial recruitment after high school, started and opened a world of possibilities to Raijon who talked with coaches throughout the country about joining their programs for his senior season. ASU's coaching staff was among those expressing sincere interest and brought Raijon to San Angelo for a visit and made their pitch and offered him a spot on this year's roster. ASU associate head coach Cinco Boone first discovered Kelly's availability while talking to other coaches at the junior college national tournament and opened communication with Raijon who quickly understood and appreciated the direction the Ram basketball program is headed.  
 
"It was a tough process because there were a lot of schools that wanted me to transfer to their team this year, but I felt comfortable with coach Boone and coach Beard from the start," Kelly said. "I saw Angelo State as a great opportunity and it's working out like I wanted it to. Samford was a good experience for me. I enjoyed being around my teammates and the institution, but we weren't winning and they wanted to make some changes. That was tough but I wasn't going to just quit playing the game."
 
Kelly is off to a strong start to his senior season at ASU by averaging 9.6 points per game after hitting on 35 of 58 shots through nine games. Fourth on the team in scoring and second with 40 assists, he also has eight steals and is 7 of 18 on 3-pointers and 9 of 10 from the free-throw line for the Rams are 8-1 on the season behind a core of five seniors which includes Kelly, Chris Jones, Tommy Woolridge, Marsell Holden and Demario Mayfield who each have taken unique journeys on their way to San Angelo.  
 
"Raijon has been a big factor to our success this season," Woolridge said. "He is a really smart player with some great ball fakes and passing. He does a great job of getting us in the flow of our offense and has been scoring some big baskets when we need it. He creates shots for everyone else by being a big-time play maker who is putting the team first."
 
Raijon has scored in double-figures four times this season, including going for 15 and 14 in the past two games. He is coming off a 15 point, three assist game against Texas-Permian Basin after recorded five assists and 14 points in a road win over Western New Mexico. A 15 point, 10 rebound game helped Angelo State to an overtime win over Arkansas Tech and gave him his first double-double of the season. Stats aside, the journey Raijon has been on from learning the game from his grandfather to playing at Samford and then starting anew at ASU has evolved his talents and character.  
 
"We are very fortunate to have Raijon on our team," Beard said. "He is a high character person and a great teammate.  On the court, Raijon is a special talent.  He has good size for a guard and is skilled. In recruiting we are always looking for dribble, pass, shoot guys who can impact the game in different ways. Raijon has the skill set. He is also very competitive and has a high basketball IQ. I believe he has the talent and work ethic to play after college. We love coaching him every day."
 
Arvesta Kelly travelled to San Angelo to watch Raijon and the Rams during their first weekend of play and said he is planning on making a couple more trips this season despite the distance from St. Paul to San Angelo. When he's here he'll see a team which is leading the nation in assists, a team playing with a purpose and a grandson who is making the most of an opportunity after facing rejection. 
 
"I've seen a lot of basketball in my life, but watching Raijon play is one of the things I'm most proud of," Arvesta said. "He's a great player, but he has become an even better person. For him to be able to enjoy basketball as much as I did is a great feeling and really created a strong bond between us. I can't wait to watch him play again."