The hero of the most exciting game of NCAA Tournament Day 1? He’s from North Carolina
Rob Gray, the hero of perhaps the most thrilling game of the first day of the NCAA Tournament, is a N.C. native.
Gray is a 6-foot-1 redshirt senior from Forest City, N.C., about an hour from uptown Charlotte.
Gray played at East Rutherford High as a sophomore, when he averaged 22.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists. He played his junior season at Arden’s Christ School, where he helped lead the Greenies to a 32-5 record and averaged 11.3 points.
Gray ultimately graduated from West Oaks (Fla.) Academy in 2013.
At Houston, he turned into a star, averaging 20.6 points per game as a junior and 18.5 this season, including a memorable Thursday night performance on national TV. Houston beat San Diego State 67-65. Gray had a career-high 39 points and a career-high eight rebounds as Houston, in the tournament for the first time since 2010, won its first NCAA Tournament game in more than 30 years.
Rob Gray just went Shabazz Napier on San Diego State. Houston on to the Round of 32. Is this really one Day One? GREATEST SHOW IN SPORTS.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) March 16, 2018
Hall of Famer Elvin Hayes on Rob Gray’s 39 points. “He went out there and refused to lose.”
— Joseph Duarte (@Joseph_Duarte) March 16, 2018
Rob Gray on last play: ‘I wanted to give UH fans that feeling they hadn’t felt since 1984.’
— Joseph Duarte (@Joseph_Duarte) March 16, 2018
Gray has scored at least 30 points six times this season and has frequently been the Cougars’ “closer,” the guy the team goes to for points in the final minutes. He was awful good Thursday, making a 3-pointer and then a contested scoop layup in the final seconds.
WOW.
— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) March 16, 2018
ROB GRAY gives Houston the lead & hits a new career-high with 39 PTS! pic.twitter.com/LPtUCUXY6n
This story was originally published March 15, 2018 at 10:37 PM with the headline "The hero of the most exciting game of NCAA Tournament Day 1? He’s from North Carolina."