Heart Over Height
STOUGHTON — There are a lot of measurables that suggest Donneil Gray isn’t a scholarship player at the collegiate level. A rail thin, 5-foot-10 guard, Gray doesn’t exactly strike fear into the opposition with his stature.
His game however, does just the opposite.
Gunning for a Division 1 or 2 scholarship offer, the Madison LaFollette standout doesn’t need to prove his value to himself, but college coaches who are still on the fence about his talent.
“I know I can play at that level,” Gray told Prep Hoops Wisconsin. “I don’t think there’s a guard I’ve seen that I can’t play with.”
Gray scored a combined 46 points in two games on opening night of the Premier Fall League. As a junior, he averaged 14.4 points per game for the Lancers, who went 19-6 and reached the sectional semifinals.
At the Division 1 level, Southern Illinois, UW-Milwaukee, and Eastern Illinois are all expressing interest in Gray going into his senior season.
“They say I need to get bigger,” Gray explained. “My size is the biggest thing to play at that level.”
Gray said he’s up to 140 pounds, however schools would like to see him around 170. He’s been able to add around 5-10 pounds since his junior season.
“It makes me work harder, it motivates me,” said Gray. “I’m in the weight room all the time. I’m getting stronger and jumping higher.”
Division 2 schools such as Winona State and Northern Michigan are also involved with Gray at this time.
Ranked No. 19 in Wisconsin’s 2019 class — and potentially moving into the top 15 after this season — Gray said he’s not concerned with what level of college basketball he ends up at and would be willing to play prep or junior college ball if it meant finding the right fit.
“I would take any offer, the level doesn’t matter,” he said. “If it’s a good program and the coaches care about me, I could go there.”