2021 Intro: Michael Gray

HAMPTON, VA – One of our favorite things to do at Tar Heel Illustrated is to see and introduce new names to North Carolina fans. And in order to bring the new names forward, one needs to get out to highly competitive events and vet a prospect’s talent level against high level competition.

The Hoop Group Southern Invitational was a platform to see some rising talent from the Mid-Atlantic region. Mainly prospects from Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina and Washington DC, which are all areas that the UNC program has had much success recruiting.

Michael Gray, a sophomore combo-guard from Team Loaded VA is one of the best young talents that we saw over the three-day event in the Tidewater area.

The 6-foot-2 guard from Fredericksburg is currently playing his high school basketball at St George (VA) Blue Ridge, one of the best independent league programs in the Commonwealth. The private school is located north of Charlottesville, tucked away in the Appalachian Mountains.

While many of the athletic prospects let the chaotic wildness of AAU basketball seduce them, Gray showed a poise and precision under the duress of hyper hoops. He made good, sound decisions under pressure, played within himself and showed a strong ability to get to the basket, score and draw fouls.

For our money, Gray was one of the best sophomores at the entire event. He’s well put together, has solid body control and can play both backcourt positions. His outside shot, while streaky, was on target and he defended at a high level.

There were times where we felt his build and game resembled a young Joel Berry.

“I just try to play within myself,” said Gray. “I try to be strong with the ball, avoid turnovers and just be the guy who gets everyone involved.”

His high school coach, Cade Lemcke, was watching Gray courtside while THI was and we discussed his sophomore playmaker during one of the breaks in action.

“He’s really good, as you can see,” Lemcke said. “He’s a big-time scorer and also a facilitator. He’s special and as you said, calm in chaos. He steps up in big-time games and likes to get the ball in crunch time. He’s only a 10th grader and he has such a bright future ahead of him.”

Heading into the summer AAU circuit, the gifted sophomore will see his high major offers continue to roll in. And he’ll also fine tune his point guard skills next season under Lemcke.