The Orange forward who stands 202 centimetres tall, redshirted during his first year with Drake University, which meant he didn't see any time on the court during the 2018/19 season.

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Gray then transferred to Salt Lake Community College where he grabbed the attention of Division 1 school UC San Diego during SLCC's 29-4 season. Midway through the 2019/20 year, he committed to San Diego for this current season.

"In hindsight it was very fortunate as the pandemic ended that season early and recruiting become challenging," Gray said.

"I ultimately chose UC San Diego as they were the first school to show interest and then offer me.

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"The coaching staff each came to many of my games and tournaments and I could see the interest and value they showed in me."

Unlike his first year with Drake, Gray is getting regular minutes off the bench with the Tritons and is second on the team in blocked shots.

A first year with any team is tough enough, let alone when you're going through a global pandemic.

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"Any given week we have to test for the virus about five times," he said.

"We have had countless games cancelled hours before tip-off, even after travelling away to play.

"As a team we have been lucky enough to not have a case or be shut down at any point."

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This is also San Diego's first year as a D-1 school.

Despite sitting second last in the Big West with just two conference wins, Gray is confident both he and the team will get better.

"The key to playing time at this level is being able to play both sides of the ball, meaning able to defend as well as produce on offense," he said.

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"Coming off the bench I take any opportunity I get to contribute to the team and winning. Our play style is fast paced, and everyone has the greenlight to shoot, so as a team we get many threes up.

"Looking towards next year, we will have seen the teams in our conference before and know their play style.

"Personally, I want to really work myself into a bigger role on the team. The end goal is definitely to return home and play professional, so each day I'm continually working towards that."

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