It was an uncanny performance, to say the least.
Freshman guard Chance Gray was shooting 1-of-7 from the field as Oregon’s game was tied with under five minutes to go.
Regardless, Gray remained aggressive. It’s the only way she knows how to shake off previous misses. So she drove to the hoop and drew a foul. She knocked down both free throws — a theme that defined Oregon’s 78-73 win over the University of California, Berkeley, on Jan. 27.
In a game separated by two possessions, all 10 of her free throw makes were crucial.
That is the kind of poise under pressure that Oregon fans have seen from Gray this season. When shots aren’t falling, she finds other ways to impact the game, whether that’s making a key defensive play, getting her teammates going offensively or getting to the free throw line.
Gray has played and started in every game this season for the Ducks. She is averaging 10.7 points per game, 2.4 assists and 0.8 steals.
Part of Gray’s maturity comes from the fact that her family is not new to navigating the collegiate sports scene. Her father Carlton Gray played college football for UCLA and was drafted into the NFL where he played eight seasons. Her older sister Amber Gray played basketball at both the University of Tennessee and Xavier before playing professionally overseas. Both coached her during her last season at Winton Woods High School.
“They’ve taught me the work ethic and what it takes to be successful at these different levels, so I’m very thankful to have people like them in my corner,” she said. “I wouldn’t be where I am today without them.”
Her father has been coaching her since she first picked up a basketball when she was 5 years old. Even now that she is away from home and playing collegiately, Carlton still gives her a lot of advice pertaining to basketball. He said he reminds her that playing the number of minutes she has, let alone being a starter, is rare for a freshman playing at a program like Oregon.
“She’s blessed to be on the court and to be going through so many situations that most kids don’t get probably until their junior or senior season,” Carlton said.
Gray’s role has seen significant changes compared to how she played at Winton Woods. With veteran guards Te-Hina Paopao and Endyia Rogers in the lineup, Oregon does not need her to score 20 points a game. Carlton said defense has been an emphasis for her this season.
“With those kinds of guards, I kind of felt like if she can make some shots and defend at a high level that she can give herself an opportunity to get on the court,” Carlton said.
Gray echoed the sentiment that she has had to become more of a defensive guard than she was in high school, where most of the nation’s top players are known for their offense. She said her efforts on the defensive end of the floor get her going offensively.
It’s been a turbulent season for the Ducks. The program has lost five games in a row for the first time since 2015-16 and is in serious jeopardy of missing out on the NCAA tournament for the first time in seven years.
Gray expressed that her family has helped her navigate her way through the individual and team hardships of the season. She said they remind her not to lose herself through the “ups and downs.”
“She’s being allowed to play under a lot of situations, good and bad, as far as what the team is going through and to take lessons in that,” Carlton said. “The biggest thing is just to maintain focus on learning from every situation.”
When asked about what she hopes to accomplish during the rest of her time at Oregon, Gray said she wants to continue to grow into her role and eventually become an All-Pac-12 guard. Carlton hopes she can get to the level of play in college that had her ranked No. 7 overall out of high school, but knows that winning is top of mind for her and the Ducks.
“She wants to see the team get back to the success that they had obviously with Sabrina [Ionescu] and that class of kids. That’s a lot of pressure, but that’s what they want,” Carlton said. “If this team has success, then the individual stuff will come.”
