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LEVELING UP: Grays eager for more at new home at Pearland
RYLEE GRAYS WON A TAPPS 6A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP AND WAS AN ALL-STATE TALENT AT THE VILLAGE HIGH SCHOOL THE LAST TWO SEASONS.
But she wanted more.
So, Grays transferred to Pearland High School, and the 6-foot-3 forward/center is ranked as one of the best in the Class of 2023 in the Greater Houston area.
"I think it'll help me with my scoring and my leadership," Grays said of the move to Pearland. "I want to talk more on the court and just think faster. Make stronger basketball decisions. I need to be quicker on my feet. My post defense can always be better."
Both of Gray's parents played at Saint Louis University, but it was her older sister, Kori, who got her interested in hoops.
"I was like, 'OK, if you're going to play basketball, I'm going to play basketball,'" Grays said. "She seemed to love it. I was like, 'That looks fun. Why not?'"
In the TAPPS 6A State Championship game her freshman year, Grays had nine points and a game-high 16 rebounds in the win.
But what makes her special is her "high motor".
"Running the floor and going all out, those are things I do naturally," Grays said.
Grays will be a great catch for college, but for now she'll settle for being better than she was the day before.
"I'm my biggest competition," Grays said. "I want to accomplish more than what I did yesterday. My parents taught me to just never give up. Persevere. "I'm capable of a lot more than I think I am."
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LETTING LOOSE: Dulles star Threatt has more tricks up her sleeve
YOU MIGHT KNOW WHO NYA THREATT IS. YOU MIGHT HAVE HEARD ABOUT HER GAME, READ ABOUT HER IN THESE PAGES, MAYBE EVEN SEEN NO. 11 HOOP IN-PERSON.
But were you with her every day this summer, shooting perimeter jump shots until her arms ached? No? Then you might not know all there is to know about the Fort Bend Dulles senior guard.
You might not know Nya Threatt.
There is another level the Vikings' dynamic scorer thinks she can reach, and she's confident she'll get there this year after spending hours upon hours this summer hoisting mid-range jumper after mid-range jumper and 3-pointer after 3-pointer.
Last season, the 5-foot- 6 Threatt was one of the top scorers in the Greater Houston area. She scored 19.7 points per game, shooting 50-percent overall. But, there is a 'but'. Threatt shot just 29-percent from 3-point range.
"Teams are going to double-team me or face- guard me full court," said Threatt. "I love that, though. I want everyone to bring their best defense to try and stop me. It just shows they respect me on the court. It forces me to shoot, and being used to driving, I'm hoping I'll be better with my shot."
Don't bet against the University of Texas-Arlington commit.
"If anything, I'm going to work my hardest to be the best in the game," Threatt said. "I want to make the people around me happy and proud."
During the summer, new Dulles coach Christina Jamerson, who often rebounded for Threatt during shooting workouts, got to know her star guard by picking her brain and establishing a trusting relationship.
"Watching her play is amazing," Jamerson said. "Even during open gym, seeing her tenacity and getting after the ball, she locks in. You see her, and she's tiny, but she's mighty. She's so fearless."
Threatt wants to be her best for her swan song as a Viking.
"I don't have to worry about trying to get a scholarship anymore. I have that," Threatt said. "So now I'm going out there playing for fun each game. Just play basketball. We want to make it to State this year.
"If we play together as a team and trust each other, we can get it done."
...
To order the following
DIGITAL VERSION - 2021-2022 VYPE Houston Basketball Preview Magazine - VYPE
ORDER COPY - 2021 VYPE Houston Magazine (VYPE Basketball Preview): Volume 14 Number – VYPE Shop (shopvype.com)
FOR PHOTOS -- VYPE PHOTOS