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Maybe it was Shaquille O’Neal. Maybe it was Bob Pettit. Or Stromile Swift. Or Glen Davis. Maybe it was all of them.
Regardless of who the main draw was, Josh Gray liked the history Louisiana State University’s basketball program has with big men.
And Gray, Putnam Science Academy’s 7-foot dominant post player, thought that as much as anything else was a good enough reason to commit to LSU over West Virginia, Seton Hall, Providence College, and Auburn.
“They put together a presentation that was really good,” Gray said last weekend from his home in Brooklyn, N.Y. “Some of the other schools that offered me along the way, their bigs never developed to the point where they were able to continue on. I want to continue to hone my skills for the next level and I think LSU is the best place for me to do that.”
The Mustangs went 36-4 this season and won a share of their second national championship in the last three years thanks in large part to Gray’s performances. He averaged 9.8 points to go with 8.9 rebounds and 1.6 blocks, both team highs. He had nine double-doubles, including performances of 16 points and 20 rebounds, 17 and 14, and 18 and 15. He also had 12 points, 15 rebounds, and seven blocks in a conference tournament victory over Thetford.
“Josh was just a dominant player for us,” said PSA coach Tom Espinosa. “He worked really hard to get that point for us, and when he did … he was just unstoppable. He’s such a physical presence and he’s going to keep getting stronger. He had games for us that were just unbelievable.”
Gray, who built a strong relationship with LSU head coach Will Wade during the recruiting process, said he’s been told to expect 10-15 minutes of playing time at the start.
“But it’s like it was here in Putnam,” he said. “If you do what you need to do, you’ll earn more time. I feel like this year I improved on my physicality. That’s really going to prepare me for the next level.
“And I created bonds with people and coaches. Even though I’m leaving, I think I’ll be always be close with (Espinosa) and the other coaches. They’ve helped me tremendously to get to this point.”
Gray joins Hassan Diarra (Texas A&M), Mekhi Gray (NJIT), Julian Dozier Jr. (Fordham), Vlad Goldin (Texas Tech), Marty Silvera (St. Peter’s), Terrell Ard. Jr. (Alabama-Birmingham), D’Maurian Williams (Gardner-Webb), and Melvyn Ebonkoli (Missouri State) as other Division I commits from this season’s team.
Stephen Nalbandian
Sports Information Director
Putnam Science Academy
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