Prospect Watch: Tycen Gray (2019)
Class of 2019 forward Tycen Gray of Farmington made an immediate impression in his first games on the Knights’ varsity at the beginning of the season.
The 6’3″ bull of a power forward led the Knights to a pair of victories in the Vianney Tournament in early December. The tournament features some of the top programs in St. Louis, but Farmington showed that a Class 4 team from a small town could hang with the big boys during this week.
Gray’s coming out party came in an upset victory over a good Belleville West (IL) team in which he had 22 points and 10 rebounds against the Maroons talented front line of 6’7″ Division I recruit E.J. Liddell and 6’6″ post Tyler Dancy. Many folks left the tournament talking about Gray’s relentless motor and productivity.
“It was the first time that Farmington has won two games in that tournament,” Gray said. “It really boosted our confidence. It showed that we can hang with some of the top teams.”
As for own performance, Gray just chalked it up to playing hard and not cheating the game.
“I just go out there and play fearless,” Gray said. “I just want to win. That’s all I want to do. I go out there and play hard all the time.”
As a sophomore, Gray was Farmington’s second-leading scorer and leading rebounder on a team that finished 19-9 and played for a district championship, losing to Hillsboro by one point in the finals. On a team started started four underclassmen, including three sophomores, Gray is very excited about the future of his team.
“We had a lot of newcomers, but we really came together early as a team,” he said. “I’m looking forward to what we can accomplish next season. We want to get past districts and make a run in the state tournament.”
Gray is spending the grassroots season playing for the STL Express 16U team. As he prepares for his junior season, he is looking to add to his game, which is built on low-post scoring, tough rebounding and physical play around the basket.
“I’m definitely working on my perimeter shooting,” Gray said. “I don’t think I’m going to grow a lot more, so I’m going to work hard on my shooting and ball handling.”