On Thursday, the Temple Owls received a commitment from 6-foot-8 forward Elijah Gray. The North Carolina native and former Fordham Ram is a massive get for Coach Adam Fisher and his staff. For those who are unaware, Gray quietly had a phenomenal sophomore season. His per-game averages of 8.4 PPG and 3.7 RPG (in only 18.0 MPG), might not necessarily explode off the page, but a little bit of research proves that Gray is still only scratching the surface. Across college basketball, he was only one of twelve players to average those numbers in 18 or less minutes per game. During a one-month stretch between January and February, Gray averaged (in 25 MPG) 14.0 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 1.1 APG 1.1 BPG, 0.8 SPG with 43/35/76 shooting splits across nine games.
The ability is apparent, so it’ll be interesting to see how he performs in a new setting. Gray offers a terrific blend of size, skill, and athleticism with the necessary IQ and polish to operate in a variety of different roles. He’s shown useful versatility and has the qualities of a guy who can cause matchup problems for opponents. Gray is comfortable making a decision with the ball in his hands and finding his opportunities within the flow of a structure. It’s easy to envision the Owls featuring him in several different roles and scenarios. We spoke to Elijah to gather some more insight on what ultimately led to his decision…
JB: What ultimately led to your decision to commit to Temple' What sold you'
EG: The decision to come to Temple was easy. I watched a lot of their film and I saw a basketball philosophy that was a great fit for my game. You’ve seen my journey from day one, so you know my focus has been to become a complete player on both ends. A player that can dribble, score and create for others while being able to guard all 5 players on the floor. Temple is also a top-tier university and I plan to get my degree and one day, after basketball, join my fellow Owls everywhere is some capacity. It wasn’t about being ‘sold.’ It was more about this coaching staff’s approach to relationships and the value they feel I can bring to Temple University.
JB: How do you see yourself fitting within their system'
EG: I see myself fitting perfectly with this system. Without giving too much away, the spacing and my role on this team will allow me to play to the strengths of my game which I believe will put our group in a position to have a successful year.
JB: Who all was involved with your recruitment'
EG: Coach Clark was the first coach to reach out but not long after the entire staff (Coach Fish, Coach Huger, Coach Jordan and Coach Clark) drove up to New York to spend an hour with me and that meant a lot. Basketball aside, I knew this was a group of men that I could trust with my continued development as a man and as a player.
JB: What’s your relationship like with the coach off the court'
EG: The relationship with the entire staff is great. I talk to or have an exchange with them daily. They understand no matter how far I take the game at some point the ball stops bouncing and so they’re already challenging me to be the best version of myself off the court.