Gray focused on making final outing as a Red Raider count
Texas Tech senior guard Justin Gray has been looking forward to this upcoming season since the final buzzer in the spring.
Gray has been an active member on the Red Raider squad since his freshman year in 2014. He has since seen a spike in his time on the court leading up to last year where he started in 27 out of 32 games.
Now, he’s down to his final go in a Red Raider uniform and can't quite believe it.
“It’s blown by so fast,” Gray said. “A lot of guys when I was a freshman and when I visited said it was going to be the fastest years of my life. You know, when they said that, I really didn’t comprehend. At 18 years old, you think, ‘there’s no way four years will be that quick since high school took forever.’ All the memories, games and relationships I’ve established the past three years has just made it an amazing run.”
One of those memories Gray shared was the opportunity of playing on the U.S. Virgin Islands National team in FIBA, the International Basketball Foundation, thanks to Texas Tech.
There he was able to travel to Argentina, but more importantly learn from other professionals and his brother, Johnathan Gray, who was apart of Cornell University’s Sweet 16 appearance in 2010.
“I got to play with my older brother, finally,” Gray said. “Playing with him and other professionals as well was a great experience. Traveling to Argentina and seeing all the beautiful places and beautiful people was just breathtaking. It was one of those experiences I’ll never forget. I gained a lot of knowledge from our head coach Sam Mitchell. I’m going to bring a lot of that to this team and implement it on the new guys especially.”
Gray is a part of a recruiting class that was scouted by former Texas Tech and now Memphis head coach Tubby Smith.
Smith said he is grateful for Coach Smith and all that he did in his time as Texas Tech’s coach. The main accomplishment under Smith’s direction was an appearance in the 2016 NCAA Tournament.
“Coach Tubby was a big implement in me coming to Texas Tech,” Gray said. “We had a very strong relationship coming out of high school. It was also coach Joe Esposito. It was really those two guys that I had a very special relationship with including with my family. That’s what really kind of set me coming here. Honestly, playing for Tubby was an amazing experience. I loved playing for Tubby. I wished him the best when he went to Memphis and still do. It was obviously a big recruiting class for him and it brought me, Zach (Smith) and all of us together. Us staying here, though, proves that we believe in Texas Tech and this coaching staff.”
Gray couldn’t resist smiling whenever he was reminiscing about the team’s accomplishments in Tubby Smith’s final year in Lubbock.
The wing player is smiling about getting to spend his final year at Tech with fellow senior Zach Smith, too.
“Growing old with Zach has been an experience. We’ve been through everything starting out as freshmen together,” Gray said. “We’ve been there for each other through tough times and good times. We’ve always had each other’s back. That’s the main thing why I think our bond is so close as a team. I feel like that just translates onto the court even better.”
And in their last season as Red Raiders, Gray and Smith are hoping to make their mark with another appearance in the NCAA Tournament. They'll attempt to do so with second year head coach Chris Beard.
Tech went through some tough trials on the court in Beard's first year at the helm. Gray's gotten to see the kind of person his head coach is on and off the court in that time, noting that he believes the Red Raiders can do some great things under Beard.
“The first year was obviously kind of tough,” Gray said. “We had to learn about each other, the coaches and what coach Beard likes and what he doesn’t like. It was pretty much a great learning experience. He made it smooth and easy for everybody. This year, especially since a lot of these guys are young, he’s made the transition between high school and college easier on them then what I had. He’s a player’s coach. He’s a great guy – knows when to be serious but when to have fun. His mentality is to win and nothing else. He’s here to build a winner. We’re lucky to have a guy like him to learn from especially since he’s shown that he can win. He’s honestly one of the best guys I’ve ever met in my life.”
The winning mentality translates back to the ‘4:1’ motto Beard and Co. put in place in order to succeed.
What does that mean exactly? ‘The mental is to physical as four is to one.’
That mantra is what pushes the Red Raiders to want to win. Gray is hoping to have a big hand in this team winning more games with improved play in his swan song season as a Red Raider.
“Individually, I want to focus on being the best defensive player and rebounder that I can be. Also, shooting the three ball more consistently this year. Overall, I would just say being a playmaker to make things happen on the court for my brothers,” Gray said. “As far as team wise, we expect to make the NCAA Tournament, to go far, and ultimately win a National Championship. Everyone’s focused in on finally getting that done and bringing it to Lubbock.”