Why I'm Going Home - to Play

By Rebecca Gray
HoopGurlz Columnist
Posted Wed, 05/07/2008 - 13:11 Rebecca Gray, who has been sharing her freshman experiences at North Carolina all year, reveals that she is leaving the Tar Heels.

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My freshman year has officially come to an end. I finished my last exam Tuesday morning and now I will be taking a different road to my future. I am going home. This time it is not just for a visit; this time I will be staying. I am sure most of you are probably very shocked right now, so let me tell you why I came to this decision.

When players transfer, people automatically think that it has something to do with the team they are playing on, the coaches, etc. That has absolutely nothing to do with me. The University of North Carolina and all the people I had the privilege to meet and become friends with were great. UNC opened up so many opportunities for me and allowed me to excel in a lot of different ways. I could not have asked for a better coaching staff or sisters that I have on the team. The fans were so faithful to our team and I thank them for everything they have done as well. Everyone at this university has made me feel very comfortable and I couldn’t have asked for anything else. The only missing piece to my puzzle was family.

I am going back home because I miss my family and I miss having them around all the time. I am family-oriented and, in my book, family always comes first. They are the reason that I made it to the level that I am playing on right now. I want to be close to them so they can see me play in person and share my happiness with me. It was a very hard decision to make, but I spent a lot of time thinking it over and speaking with my family. I decided the best decision for me was to go back home and be with my family.

Now, going away to school was not a total downfall. I learned how to fend for myself and how to keep up with my own responsibilities. For some of you out there, going away to school will be the best thing for you. Sometimes, getting away allows you to make a better future for yourself because you got away from your surroundings and made a change in your life. I tried going away for a year, and in my case, it wasn’t what was best for me. I have been in contact with the University of Kentucky. UK is 10 minutes from my front door and I am hoping that is where I end up.

I don’t regret anything at all from this past year. I had a great time this year and we had a wonderful season. We lived like queens and we worked hard to get where we needed to be. I was able to grow as a person and a player at UNC and I thank everyone for the time and the love that they shared. You never know what your future will hold. I hope everyone understands that things in life have a way of changing. I feel that going home is the best thing for me and again, I thank everyone who has supported me.

Until next time, stay cool and keep ballin’ ya’ll!

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Rebecca "Bee" Gray is a freshman on basketball scholarship at the University of North Carolina. A 5-foot-10, sharp-shooting guard out of Georgetown, Ky., Gray was ranked 47th in the 2007 class and an Honor Roll selection by HoopGurlz.com. She was named Miss Basketball in the state of Kentucky after averaging 25.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4.1 steals and 4.8 assists during her senior season at Scott County High School, where she also finished as its career scoring leader with 2,907 points.

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