Shades of Gray add color to Flames

(Internet exclusive for 1/22/07 Whoosh!)

Photo: Steve Woltmann/UIC Athletics It doesn’t seem to matter what T.J. Gray’s height is. The guy can shoot the three-pointer with remarkable range.

No one is quite sure how tall junior guard T.J. Gray really is.

Let’s just say he’s somewhere between 5-foot-6 and his listed height of 5-foot-9, but it’s not Gray’s size that really matters, it’s his contributions.

The transfer from Western Illinois is the second-leading scorer on the Flames at 12.1 points and has become UIC’s top threat from outside, shooting 46 percent from three-point range.

“Our offense is designed for us to get a lot of movement and it creates a lot of open opportunities for us,” said Gray, after a 19-point performance against Akron on Dec. 16. “I’ve been working on my shot my entire life, being my size, in terms of getting it off. My teammates have a lot of confidence in me.”

Gray has scored in double figures in his last nine games and has connected on at least three three-pointers in each contest.

“It’s not the size of a man, it’s the heart of a man – and it’s the skill of the man,” UIC associate head coach Mark Coomes said.

Coomes inserted Gray into the starting lineup against Butler on Jan. 10, and he hit six three-point baskets in the Flames’ 73-67 overtime win over the No. 12 team in country.

“You can’t sleep on T.J.,” UIC head coach Jimmy Collins said about Gray before the season. “Otherwise, you’ll look up and he’ll have 20 points on you. He shoots the ball that well. He’s also got some great leadership skills.”

When Gray is teamed up with sophomore Josh Mayo, it gives UIC multiple options from long range.

“The whole team knows that when these guys (Gray and Mayo) have wide open threes and they don’t take them, they’re coming out,” Coomes said after the Butler game. “They know I’m serious.”

With Gray and Mayo in the starting lineup, it gives freshman Spencer Stewart a chance to watch the veterans before getting into the flow of the game. Coomes said it wasn’t demotion for Stewart.

“Those three guys are basically all starters,” Coomes said. “That’s how I view them. That’s a good thing for our team. It doesn’t matter to them. They know that they’re going to play and they know they’re going to be productive.”

As the season wears on and the Flames continue to improve, Gray is finding his groove.

“I love it here,” Gray said. “The coaches have done a wonderful job of making me feel accepted and giving the opportunity to use my strength – shooting the ball. It’s been a perfect fit.”