Gray’s family connection to Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King was on her mind Monday
Basketball is a global game, but in most games, there are “small world” stories. Tales of past history between opponents, international matchups played overseas, carried over to the United States, and moments where history repeats itself. Monday’s victory for No. 14 Ohio State over the No. 10 TCU Horned Frogs carried its own history that stretches generations and manifested in a standout performance from Buckeye senior guard Chance Gray.
Ohio State’s trip to Newark, New Jersey, was because of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday. Specifically, the work done by Coretta Scott King in the battle for civil rights. Gray’s great-grandfather, Benjamin Hooks, played a part in that same fight, alongside the King family as former executive director of the NAACP and as a member of the 1959 Freedom Assembly, alongside King.
“I definitely thought of my great-grandfather today. Just wanted to honor him a little bit,” Gray said after the game. “It’s a great holiday today, so just making sure that we make note of that.”
The history of the day, and Gray’s family history, included the best performance of the guard’s season. It was the best not because of a season high point total, but the quality of baskets at a time when point guard Jaloni Cambridge was not carrying the scoring burden for Ohio State. Cambridge had 17 points, a far cry from the 34.5 points the sophomore averaged over the last three games.
Gray scored 22 points, one shy of her season high that she hit Wednesday against the Penn State Nittany Lions, but this time the scoring came against the No. 10 team in the nation, and over generational talent in TCU guard Olivia Miles.
In the second quarter, Gray turned a 10-point Buckeye deficit into a four-point game when she hit consecutive three-point shots to open the period. In the fourth quarter, Gray hit her sixth shot from beyond the arc in the 71-69 victory. It was the shot that ultimately secured Ohio State the victory.
“You leave her [Gray] open, she’s gonna make those shots,” said guard Jaloni Cambridge. “She’s a shooter. I don’t, I don’t even know what to say. Guard her.”
Gray’s performance also showed that Ohio State is not as one-dimensional as it has looked throughout the 2025-26 season. In seven Big Ten games, Cambridge led the Buckeyes in scoring, plus both ranked nonconference matchups against the UConn Huskies and West Virginia Mountaineers earlier in the season.
At halftime, Cambridge had four points on 2-for-10 shooting. Gray led the Buckeyes with 17 points, and that turned a 10-point deficit 10 minutes earlier into a single possession.
That Gray performance that stood front and center, from a senior role player and not the team’s front and center star, at an event named after Coretta Scott King, made sense.
“This holiday means a lot to our community and who we are as people,” Gray said. “Being able to honor that and play in this [game], and also honoring Coretta Scott King. You know, she was behind Martin Luther King a lot. So just being able to notice that women are behind it too.”
During the pregame festivities, Gray could not help but look around as players and coaches from both teams stood facing the flag during the national anthem. Gray locked arms with her teammates but turned around multiple times to watch the singing group perform “Lift All Voices and Sing” before “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
Gray made the most of a day with rich meaning, both on and off the court.
Category: General Sports
