Xcellent 25 Profile
Who: Chelsea Gray
School: St. Mary’s-Stockton (21-3)
Position: Point Guard
Height: 5-11
Year: Junior
Strengths: Versatility, competitive fire, passing
Averages: 19.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, 7.1 assists
Xcellent Top 25: Click 25
By Mitch StephensMaxPreps.com
STOCKTON, Calif. – Doctors told Chelsea Gray she probably needed to stay out of practice a day after injuring her right (shooting) shoulder in early December. The operative word here for Gray was “probably.”
Of course, the St. Mary’s (Stockton, Calif.) junior point guard attended practice and, as always, exalted her team and led the troops. She’s the team leader after all, a blue chip recruit who orchestrates every facet of what some believe is the nation’s best girls basketball team.
But when it came down to a daily 3-point shooting drill — a huge part of coach Tom Gonsalves’ attack — Gray couldn’t contain herself. She frothed, she stammered, she heeded the doctor’s advice.
Even healthy, Gray was in the third and last group. The long-range game isn’t her bread or butter. She’s a slasher, a distributor, a finisher, a ball-handler and passer extraordinaire with an outstanding mid-range game. The trey is the role of numerous others on the team and Gray’s job is to find them open.
But Gray, much like Magic Johnson and many of the greats, always unearths her own weakness and attacks. She’d been working hard on her long-range game so that she’s be impossible to defend
Missing this daily 100-attempt drill would have pushed her down the team’s 3-point pecking order, which meant little to Gonsalves or anyone, but screamed to Gray’s competitive fire.
“She wanted to be in the drill and I reminded her of the doctor’s orders,” Gonsalves said. “I told her no. …unless she could figure out a way to not use her right shoulder.”
Ding.
A light went off. Digging into her magic bag of tricks and skills Gray found a solution.
“I’ll shoot left-handed,” she said.
Gonsalves, who is chided often by Gray for being a lefty, found it funny, compulsive and yet inspiring.
“Sure Chelsea,” he said. “Knock yourself out.”
Instead, she knocked Gonsalves and the team out.
She made 51 of 100, including seven of her first 10.
“I about fell over but it really shouldn’t have surprised me,” the coach said. “She’s just that competitive.”
And she’s that good. She’s indeed elevated that part of her game which coincides with her recent rise in physical stature. One of the top sophomore points guards last year who at 5-foot-7 averaged 18 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.4 assists for the 33-1 Rams, grew four inches during the off-season.
That has lifted her game, statistics and recruiting status exponentially. More important to her is to avenge its only defeat last year to Sacred Heart Cathedral (San Francisco) and win a state and possible mythical national crown.
She’s averaging just under 20 points per game, 8.3 rebounds and 7.1 assists for the 21-3 Rams who this week moved up to No. 14 in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25.
Gray had one of her best all-around games of the year Monday in a huge 84-48 win over Clovis West, with 23 points, 11 rebounds and six assists. The victory avenged a 57-50 loss to Clovis West on Dec. 13.
“At 5-11 she can post up smaller guards, she can guard the interior, she can see the defense even better,” Gonsalves said. “And of course she’s shooting better.”
The Rams, ranked No. 1 in the country every preseason poll, were upset early by Kentwood (Covington, Wash.) 74-67 despite five 3-pointers by Gray in the fourth quarter and eight overall. She finished with 32 points.
“None of that mattered, we lost,” she said. “Hopefully we’ll learn from this mistake. We lacked intensity and rotation on our press.”
Said Gonsalves: “You hear coaches say it about players, but truly all Chelsea cares about is winning. She’s so unselfish. She makes everyone around us better.”
Even the team’s other super junior, 6-0 Afure Jemerigbe, who is probably the most athletic player Gonsalves has ever coached.
Considering he coached Gatorade Player of the Year Jacki Gemelos and led the Rams to five NorCal titles and three state crowns, that’s saying something.
Jemerigbe and Gray are great friends and guard each other frequently during practice. Gray is ranked the No. 3 junior in the nation and Jemerigbe No. 16.
“It’s a war between them,” Gonsalves said. “You don’t often get two elite players like that on the same high school squad so we feel blessed. Every coach in the country has come out to watch them in open gyms.
"Coaches often say it's too bad Chelsea doesn't have Afure's legs (athleticism) and I have t laugh. Chelsea is so smart and crafty I've never seen a quicker or more athletic player beat her off the dribble or to a rebound or loose ball. She always finds a way to get her shot and score if she needs to. I feel funny saying it but she truly reminds me of Magic Johnson in that way. And Alfure is like James Worthy."
Gray, the cousin of All-Pac-10 point guard Alexis Gray-Lawson (Cal), keeps the Rams very humble and on keel. It’s something her father James and mom Vickey instilled. It also helps to have a much older (10 years) brother Javon, who was a standout football and baseball player.
“She’s got great parents and she’s just a great kid,” Gonsalves said. “You hear it sometimes but it’s really, really true with Chelsea: she’s a better person than a basketball player. In her case, that’s really saying something.”
Gonsalves told that to Tara VanDerveer the other day, the same day that the Stanford coach offered Gray a full ride. Gonsalves said USC, Oklahoma, Uconn, Arizona, Arizona State and UCLA have been around to watch her the last two weeks.
"(USC coach) Mark Trakh told me she's the best point guard in the country," Gonsalves said.
The 3.5 student said she’ll consider all her offers and likely make up her mind by next summer.
“I’m leaving all my options open,” she said.
Until then, she’ll just keep working on her dribbling, defense, passing and shooting.
Left- and right-handed, of course
E-mail Mitch Stephens at mstephens@maxpreps.com.
