Chelsea Gray was by one of the most impressive players in the Northern California Elite Showcase in Los Altos, Calif., during the Fall Evaluation Period. She's just starting her sophomore year and already possesses so many qualities coaches love in their point guard and would expect of, say, a senior. She starts out with great genes with her cousin being Alexis Gray-Lawson, the All-Conference point guard for the Cal Bears. She's got a great basketball frame, plenty of talent and an 'it' factor that tends to exist in the country's top players.
Gray is listed at 5-8 and standing next to her that seems about right. She has nice length and could still grow taller. When she handles the ball she protects it. She keeps her body between the defender and the ball in traffic. What is really impressive is how she never gets bumped off her route to the basket. Once she beats a defender off the dribble she gets her center of gravity to a point that she can absorb the contact and actually steer the defender. In some cases she seems to intentionally keep them near her but out of position to draw the foul when she could probably turn the jets on and just beat the defender plain and simpler. When she gets to the basket she can finish, even in traffic and does well with contact.
Chelsea Gray Eyes Her Shot
She's good at pushing the defenders far enough under the basket and extending her shooting arm out to use the glass without giving them an angle at the ball for a blocked shot. She is stronger finishing with her right but has a nice left in her game as well.
Gray handles the ball and runs her team with poise. She seems to know which players she can deliver the ball to in different ways. If she sees Afure Jemerigbe out on the break or on a cut she speeds her game up to deliver the ball on time and delivers crisp passes to all her teammates. Her high school team puts a premium on three point shots so delivering the ball in to the target or shot pocket is very important. She gets it on the money quite often, even on hard penetration and kick outs. She has command of her team as well and gets her team into the sets they are running and while not a chatter box on the floor she does talk to her teammates and point out player movement as needed.
Gray has a nice looking shot and can knock down open threes and long jumpers. If she creates off the dribble she tends to get all the way to the cup or find a teammate for a scoring opportunity. She doesn't create off the dribble for herself in the midrange with a bunch of pull up jumpers or anything. She's does her job as a point guard and gets people involved. She has some flaws in her shooting as it starts from her chest when she shoots from three a little bit. As she gets stronger she won't need to pause and load up there. The rest of the shot looks good. She has nice extension and follow through and has repeatable form. Its really just a matter of getting it off quicker in college.
Defensively she is solid, covers a lot of ground and uses her arms to shrink passing angles. She could be a little more aggressive and pin her ears back, so to speak, against inferior opponents. Overall she's an incredible young talent and may be among the top point guards in her class when all is said and done. The physical gifts are there. The natural feel for the game is there and she is fundamentally sound. All that's left is more hard work and experience.
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Chris Hansen is the National Director of Scouting for Women’s Basketball at HoopGurlz.com. He leads the panel that evaluates and ranks girl's basketball prospects nationally for HoopGurlz. Chris has been involved in the women’s basketball community since 1998 as a coach, trainer, evaluator and reporter. He can be reached at chris@hoopgurlz.com [2].
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