Overview

Gray garnered plenty of attention during his senior year at Pittsburgh. A finalist for the Naismith Award, recognizing the best player in the nation, he was also a finalist for the John R. Wooden All-American team and Wooden individual award, in addition to being a finalist for the Lowe's Senior Class Award, honoring the college basketball player who displays Personal qualities in four different categories: classroom, character, community and competition.

The physical pivot man became the fifth player in Schoolhistory to earn All-American honors and was named the Aeropostale/Big East Scholar-Athlete of the Year, in addition to earning first-team All-Big East Conference honors for the second consecutive season during his final year with the Panthers.

At Emmaus High School, Gray lettered three times in basketball. He earned Pennsylvania Gatorade State Player of the Year accolades as a senior and was selected first-team Class 4A All-State. The two-time Lehigh Valley All- Conference and All-Area selection was named Tournament MVP at the Western Lehigh Exchange Club Christmas Tournament. He was a standout at the Lehigh Valley HoopGroup Basketball Tournament when he led his team to victory over defending state champion and top-ranked Harrisburg High.

Gray averaged 20 points, 15 rebounds, four assists and four blocked shots as a senior, leading the Emmaus Green Hornets to a 21-3 regular-season record and Lehigh Valley Conference title. He added third-team All-State honors after he averaged 18 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks and led Emmaus to the PIAA Class 3A quarterfinals as a junior. In three seasons, he registered 975 points. Gray also lettered in football and was a pitcher on the baseball team.

After his senior year, he played in the Pittsburgh Hoops Classic and also competed in summer league competitions with the New Jersey All-Stars, Philly Hoops, Keystone Blazers, Sonny Hill All-Stars and Lehigh Valley All-Stars.

As a freshman, Gray appeared in 15 games for Pitt during the 2003-04 season. He became just the second 7-footer to play at Pitt (Mark Blount; 1995-97). He logged 88 minutes of action, averaging just 1.7 points and 1.5 rebounds per game.

In 2004-05, he played in all 29 games and averaged 11.6 minutes per game off the bench. He was named a Big East Academic All-Star for the second-straight season and earned the team's Academic Excellence Award. He ranked second on squad in field-goal percentage (.576, 49 of 85) and averaged 4.3 points while pulling in 2.8 rebounds per game.

In 2005-06, Gray started all 33 games at center. He was named Big East Conference Most Improved Player, becoming Pitt's fourth player to earn that award over the last seven seasons. The first-team All-Big East pick, he was the first player at Pitt to average a double-double (13.9 points, 10.5 rebounds per game) since Jerome Lane accomplished the feat in 1987-88. He also became the 10th player in Schoolhistory to average a double-double for a season.

Gray was the Big East rebounding champion, the first Pitt player to lead the league in rebounds since Isaac Hawkins (9.7 in 1997-98). He was the first player to average 10 rebounds since Jerome Lane averaged 12.2 boards in 1987-88 and added Big East All-Tournament honors after registering double-doubles in three of four games and averaging 13 points and 11.8 rebounds per game in four contests. He also set the Big East record for most rebounds in the conference tourney with 47. His 345 total rebounds rank sixth on the school's season-record list while his 121 offensive boards rank third.

Gray earned Pitt's Most Improved Player Award and was its rebounding leader. He registered double-doubles in 18 of 33 contests on the season and his 18 double-doubles and 10.5 rebounds per game led the Big East. He scored 20-plus points in six games and reached double figures in scoring in 27 of 33 games on the year while he also pulled down at least 10 rebounds in 20 of 33 games. He declared for the 2006 NBA Draft, but later withdrew his name.

As a senior, Gray earned NABC All-American third-team honors. The first-team All-Big East choice registered double-doubles in 15 games and in 27 of 36 games he scored in double figures. He reached double-figure rebounding totals in 20 contests.

Gray made on 204 of 361 field goals (56.5 percent) and made 91 of 166 free throws (54.8 percent) for 499 points, an average of 13.9 per game.

Gray ranked 22nd in the nation with 341 total rebounds, including 120 offensive boards, an average of 9.5 per game. He was credited with 61 assists and had 15 steals with 62 blocked shots. He was called for 91 fouls and had 55 turnovers.

In 113 games at Pittsburgh, Gray started his final 69 contests. He produced 33 double-doubles and scored at least 10 points in 56 games. He had 39 games with at least 10 rebounds and registered 790 rebounds for his career (seven per game), the 10th-best total on the school's all-time list. He shot .550 from the floor (434 of 789) and made 59.5 percent of his free throws (241 of 405). Gray accounted for 147 assists, as he blocked 130 shots and had 41 steals. He was called for 238 fouls and had 176 turnovers.

Scouting Report

Positives: Classic, old-Schoolcenter who uses his big frame well to clog the opponent's passing lanes...Has long limbs, good bulk and impressive power to box out and battle for boards...Has good post moves and operates well under the hoop, showing good touch...Uses his body well to maintain position underneath and operates well with his back to the boards, evident by his 241 offensive rebounds over the past two seasons...Has quick, soft hands that allow him to excel passing out of the post...Has the length to execute the drop-step move and does a nice job of feeding the ball back out to his guards when going from the high to the low post...Has a decent spot-up jumper from 10-12 feet out, but it is rare to see him attempt a 3-point shot...Has good court vision and the ability to generate quick kick-out passes to the perimeter...His size will generally force smaller forwards to step out of the paint and force their shots from the perimeter...Has made most of his points scoring with his right-handed hook shot, but can also lay in the quick turnaround from 4-6 feet out...Has enough hip flexibility to score from either side of the basket and can put in the layup with either hand...Will use his size to gain position in the low post, but needs to improve his strength in order to do this effectively at the next level...Catches most passes thrown to him due to soft hands...Is best in the half-court game, as he doesn't have the speed for an up-tempo attack...Will get most of his points inside...Is thick, wide and not easy to get around.

Negatives: Might lack the speed and quickness needed to play a major role at the next level and needs to improve his overall stamina...Gets most of his rebounds by standing flat-footed, lacking the elevation to battle for the ball above the rim...Uses his size well to maintain position, but needs to play with better aggression...Gets sloppy with his footwork when operating in the post and despite his bulk, he struggles when matched up vs. double-team defense...Too slow to get into position to contribute against the pick-and-roll...Gets pushed off the glass by the more physical centers and needs to drive stronger to the basket...Will get too passive and give up position under the basket when he is challenged by the more physical opponent...Lacks leaping ability and his inability to elevate will limit his court minutes at the next level...Needs to set his feet before shooting, as he will rush his shot when in motion...For a player of his size, he should be attacking the rim more often rather than trying to shoot soft, finesse shots...Lacks good accuracy under the basket, especially when attempting to go for the putbacks...Shows marginal body control in transition and is a liability when he puts the ball on the floor, as his high dribble invites the guards to steal the ball...Is also a liability at the free-throw line, but he fails to draw much contact...Gets most of his blocks due to his length, as he lacks timing and lift on his leaps.

Compares To: CHRIS MIHM, Los Angeles Lakers. Gray has the size and strength you look for in an old-time center, but in this day and age of the up-tempo attack, he lacks the quickness to play in the open court. He showed improvement boxing out as a senior, but will still get pushed out of the paint by more physical forwards. He is best near the basket, as he shows he has no range to be effective putting the ball in from the perimeter. The NBA loves size and he has that in abundance, but Gray needs to show better aggression, improve his leaping ability, add strength and increase his overall stamina in order to earn significant minutes.

High School

Attended Emmaus (Pa.) High School, playing basketball for three seasons for head coach Tony Semler...Earned Pennsylvania Gatorade State Player of the Year accolades as a senior and was selected first-team Class 4A All-State...Two-time Lehigh Valley All- Conference and All-Area selection...Named Tournament MVP at the Western Lehigh Exchange Club Christmas Tournament...Standout at the Lehigh Valley HoopGroup Basketball Tournament when he led his team to victory over defending state champion and top-ranked Harrisburg High...Rated among Athlon Sports' top-20 senior centers (No. 15) and among nation's top-100 recruits...Listed as the No. 99 senior recruit by Rivals.com and ranked No. 93 among the top-100 rising seniors by PrepStars magazine...Averaged 20 points, 15 rebounds, four assists and four blocked shots as a senior, leading the Emmaus Green Hornets to a 21-3 regular-season record and Lehigh Valley Conference title...Added third-team All-State honors after he averaged 18 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks and led Emmaus to the PIAA Class 3A quarterfinals as a junior...In three seasons, he scored 975 points...Also lettered in football and was a pitcher on the baseball team...After his senior year, he played in the Pittsburgh Hoops Classic and also competed in summer league competitions with the New Jersey All-Stars, Philly Hoops, Keystone Blazers, Sonny Hill All-Stars and Lehigh Valley All-Stars.

Personal

Communication and Rhetoric major...Brother Matthew played baseball at Bloomsburg...Uncle, Steve Gray, played basketball at Duke (1975-79), competing in 88 career games and along with teammates Mike Gminski, Jim Spanarkel and Gene Banks, led Duke to the 1978 Final Four...Son of Sandy and Michael Gray...Born Aaron Michael Gray on 12/07/84 in Tarzana, California...Resides in Emmaus, Pennsylvania.

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