Lakota West鈥檚 Gray continues to put skills on full display as No. 14 player in 2022 class
CINCINNATI (BVM) — Athletes as special as Chance Gray don鈥檛 come around that often. The No. 14-ranked player nationally by ESPN in the Class of 2022, Gray has again put her talents on the hardwood on full display this winter.
Outside of track, Gray has always put her sole focus on the sport of basketball. Her love for the game came in large part due to her family鈥檚 athletic background, as well as idolizing one of the all-time greats.
鈥淢y biggest role model is Kobe because of the Mamba Mentality,鈥� Gray said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 my dad鈥檚 favorite player, too, so that鈥檚 just what I grew up learning.鈥�
Gray has had the unique luxury of being able to also look up to a professional athlete right within her household. Her father is Carlton Gray, a former All-American cornerback at UCLA, and an eight-year NFL player with the Seahawks, Colts, Giants and Chiefs.
Carlton is also a good basketball player, and has been able to teach Chance the game throughout her life. Having someone who has been at the top of the mountain in their sport has also been beneficial to have in Chance鈥檚 corner as she attempts to do the same someday.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been very cool to see someone who鈥檚 already achieved everything you鈥檙e trying to do,鈥� Chance said. 鈥淗e knows everything and if it wasn鈥檛 for him, I probably wouldn鈥檛 know how to play the game of basketball. He just gives the best advice and always knows what he鈥檚 talking about. Even sometimes when I want to say he鈥檚 wrong, he鈥檚 always right.鈥�
But perhaps Chance鈥檚 biggest inspiration on the hardwood is her older sister, Amber. She also starred at Lakota West, and still currently holds the girls program record for points scored. Amber went on to earn a basketball scholarship from Tennessee, but after having a shoulder surgery at the end of her freshman year, she would unfortunately suffer a stroke and brain aneurysm.
Amber thankfully recovered, and finished out her career playing for the Xavier Musketeers. Seeing all Amber has gone through on and off the court has been truly motivating for Chance.
鈥淕rowing up, watching her play was probably the best thing,鈥� Chance said. 鈥淪eeing someone that you look up to, live with everyday and was always with do great things, is great. She鈥檚 just made me strive for greatness and seeing her story and seeing how many people she鈥檚 impacted just inspires me on the court. She probably taught me one of the biggest lessons in my life which is just don鈥檛 take anything for granted because the ball can be put down at any time. Seeing her push back just shows me to leave everything on the court every time I play.鈥�
Amber is now an assistant coach back at her alma mater of Lakota West, allowing the sisters to further strengthen their basketball bond once again.
Chance grew up playing basketball with Cincinnati鈥檚 Finest Basketball Club, where she was coached by her father along with president and founder of the organization, Steve Sanders. As she entered her middle school years, Chance began getting selected for showcase events, and realized she could compete with anyone.
Right away at Lakota West, Chance made an immediate impact, helping the Firebirds to back-to-back conference championships in her freshman and sophomore seasons.
Although things would change with athletics as we knew them last spring, Chance used the early portion of the Covid pandemic to workout everyday and get better and stronger at her craft.
鈥淚 was getting in the gym everyday when I could to try and work on my game and improve everything,鈥� Chance said. 鈥淲hile everybody was probably taking rest and time off, I knew that was my time to make my jump.鈥�
After a strong AAU summer season, Chance entered her junior year at Lakota West and indeed made quite a leap. She scored over 25 points per game for the Firebirds, while also averaging around seven rebounds, four assists and three steals per contest. Chance also hit a career milestone by scoring her 1,000th point last December, becoming just the sixth player in program history to do so.
鈥淚t was a great feeling knowing I could accomplish something like that that not many people do,鈥� Chance said.
Next year, Chance will have the opportunity to go one step further and break Amber鈥檚 all-time scoring record at Lakota West.
鈥淚t鈥檇 mean a lot because to me, she鈥檚 the best player who has ever played in our program,鈥� Chance said. 鈥淕etting the accomplishment she had and knowing that not many people can reach that would be great. I do think I can get it and hopefully I do.鈥�
Chance also hopes to help the Firebirds to a conference championship once again, and a deep postseason run.聽
As a five-star recruit and ranked No. 14 in her class in the country, Chance is an elite talent. Although she often doesn鈥檛 pay too close of attention to those labels, they do motivate her.
鈥淭hat definitely motivates me because everyday I鈥檓 in the gym, I have to know that I鈥檓 one of the best players in the country and I have to push myself to be at that level all the time,鈥� Chance explained.聽
As one of the best high school players in the country, it is no secret that Chance is highly sought after by many top college programs. She received her first official offer when she was in eighth grade, and has attracted over 40 schools who have wanted her to come play for them.聽
As of this winter, Chance鈥檚 shortlist consisted of top programs in the country including Oregon, Arizona, North Carolina, Ohio State, Michigan State, Michigan, Maryland, Mississippi State and UCLA.
She has since narrowed the list down even further, and hopes to make a commitment before she suits up for her senior season at Lakota West.
鈥淚 got my first offer in eighth grade so my recruiting has been going on for a while,鈥� Chance said. 鈥淚t did get hard this year because I knew I had to narrow it down. I hope I can narrow it down soon to one school.鈥�
Currently, there is no front-runner for Chance鈥檚 talents. However, one school that might be enticing is her dad鈥檚 alma mater, UCLA.
鈥淕rowing up, I never had the desire to go to UCLA,鈥� Chance said. 鈥淏ut now that I鈥檝e developed relationships with Coach Cori Close and Coach Tasha Brown, I really do like that school and it鈥檚 a great school where I know I鈥檇 have a great education and be successful.鈥�
Wherever she ends up, Chance hopes to prove her talent right away and show she wasn鈥檛 just a good high school player, but can also be a star at the collegiate level. Meanwhile, she will also look to keep her tremendous work in the classroom going, where she has been a 4.0 GPA student at Lakota West.
鈥淚鈥檓 a student-athlete and student comes first,鈥� Chance explained. 鈥淪chool is one of my jobs and I know that鈥檚 something I have to stay on top of. My dad and my mom always made sure I was on top of things and school just became easy to me.鈥�
Chance has a very bright future ahead of her, and with how well she has developed on the hardwood, it鈥檚 very possible she could follow the same path as her father as a professional athlete sooner than later.
鈥淕rowing up, I really didn鈥檛 know if I loved basketball or not,鈥� Chance said. 鈥淚 had to grow to love it. Once I realized that when I had to go without basketball for a couple days and I missed the sound of basketball, I just had an irk to go into the gym. Once I started developing that work ethic, I knew I loved basketball. I saw if I could keep working like this, I have the potential to play professionally someday, and that鈥檚 something I do want to do.鈥�
