{"id":60830,"date":"2018-03-17T11:16:04","date_gmt":"2018-03-17T11:16:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/?p=60830"},"modified":"2018-03-17T11:16:04","modified_gmt":"2018-03-17T11:16:04","slug":"2018-ncaa-tournament-houstons-liftoff-starts-with-rob-gray-basketballs-baker-mayfield","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/sports\/2018-ncaa-tournament-houstons-liftoff-starts-with-rob-gray-basketballs-baker-mayfield.html","title":{"rendered":"2018 NCAA tournament: Houston’s liftoff starts with Rob Gray, basketball’s Baker Mayfield"},"content":{"rendered":"

2018 NCAA tournament: Houston’s liftoff starts with Rob Gray, basketball’s Baker Mayfield<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

When Kelvin Sampson watches Rob Gray play, a dervish in a man bun firing up three-pointers or careening through the lane for layups, then making sure everybody knows about it afterward, the comparison is easy.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBaker Mayfield,\u201d the Houston coach says. \u201cHe\u2019s the basketball version of Baker Mayfield.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Understand, that\u2019s meant as high praise. It\u2019s not just that Gray is prone to shush the crowd or, a la James Harden, to stir the pot. Never mind the antics, the 6-2 senior guard routinely cooks the competition and silences arenas with his performance. And Gray\u2019s \u201cunwavering swagger,\u201d as Houston assistant coach Kellen Sampson describes it, has led the Cougars to unexpected success.<\/span><\/p>\n

No. 6 Houston plays No. 3 Michigan on Saturday with a berth in the Sweet 16 at stake. A 67-65 victory against San Diego State in the first round Thursday was the school\u2019s first in the NCAA tournament since 1984, and an important accomplishment in Sampson\u2019s fourth season as head coach. The win came when Gray drove into the lane, ducked under 6-10 forward Malik Pope and scored a layup with 1.1 seconds left.<\/span><\/p>\n

He finished with 39 points and became an instant March Madness sensation. But his impact goes far beyond one game. In three seasons, Gray has helped transform the Cougars.<\/span><\/p>\n

MORE: Houston’s Rob Gray is the March Madness star we deserve<\/span><\/p>\n

MORE: Marshall makes program history with upset of Wichita State<\/span><\/p>\n

MORE: Purdue basketball’s Isaac Haas out for remainder of season<\/span><\/p>\n

WRAP-UP: All the scores from Friday at the 2018 NCAA tournament<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe immediately came in and changed everything,\u201d says Kellen Sampson, Kelvin\u2019s son. \u201cHis belief changed our program.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Gray\u2019s journey to this moment included stops at two high schools, a prep school and then junior college \u2014 where a broken foot caused him to redshirt as a freshman, and paved the way for him to have three years of eligibility once he got to Houston.<\/span><\/p>\n

That he got there required serendipity. From Howard College, he committed to Tennessee \u2014 but then-coach Donnie Tyndall was fired while Gray was in Knoxville on an official visit. Meanwhile, Houston suddenly had a roster slot to fill when Jherrod Stiggers, the Cougars\u2019 leading scorer, surprised everyone and turned pro a year early.<\/span><\/p>\n

It hasn\u2019t always been smooth. During Gray\u2019s first season at Houston, Kelvin Sampson sat him down for a game against SMU because of his attitude. It was already clear Gray was the Cougars\u2019 best player, but as his stats jumped, his shot selection worsened and his defensive effort waned.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cRob thought a pass was what you asked for at the principal\u2019s office,\u201d Sampson says. \u201cHe wouldn\u2019t pass it. And defense was that thing that ran around the back yard and kept the dogs and the toys in. He wasn\u2019t guarding anybody.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

After the suspension, Sampson says Gray got with the program. And from that point, the program has gotten steadily better. Gray has, too, maturing into a leader (and earning his degree in sociology in December).<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve come a long way,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s night and day.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Properly channeled, his belief that every shot is going in and the Cougars will win every game has fueled Houston\u2019s surge \u2014 this season is its best in years.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat type of attitude is what we needed more than anything,\u201d Kellen Sampson says<\/span><\/p>\n

But some things don\u2019t change. When Kellen Sampson calls Gray first and foremost, \u201ca baller\u201d \u2014 well, it might be why he was suspended for the season opener by the NCAA. Don\u2019t misunderstand; it turns out the reason was more Mayfield than mayhem.<\/span><\/p>\n

A year ago this month, after Houston was knocked out of the NIT in the first round, Gray stuck around Houston during spring break. A buddy called, needing someone to fill in on his church-league team. Could Gray play?<\/span><\/p>\n

A few days later, someone tipped off the Houston compliance department; the Cougars figure it might have been a church-league player with bruised feelings. When Kellen Sampson called Gray and asked, \u201cDid you play in a church-league game?\u201d Gray\u2019s response was telling:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCoach,\u201d he said, \u201cI was killin\u2019!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

But when Gray\u2019s friend paid a $5 entry fee, he broke NCAA rules. Yeah, it seems silly to him, too.<\/span><\/p>\n

After the suspension, Sampson says Gray got with the program. And from that point, the program has gotten steadily better. Gray has, too, maturing into a leader (and earning his degree in sociology in December).<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve come a long way,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s night and day.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Properly channeled, his belief that every shot is going in and the Cougars will win every game has fueled Houston\u2019s surge \u2014 this season is its best in years.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat type of attitude is what we needed more than anything,\u201d Kellen Sampson says<\/span><\/p>\n

But some things don\u2019t change. When Kellen Sampson calls Gray first and foremost, \u201ca baller\u201d \u2014 well, it might be why he was suspended for the season opener by the NCAA. Don\u2019t misunderstand; it turns out the reason was more Mayfield than mayhem.<\/span><\/p>\n

A year ago this month, after Houston was knocked out of the NIT in the first round, Gray stuck around Houston during spring break. A buddy called, needing someone to fill in on his church-league team. Could Gray play?<\/span><\/p>\n

A few days later, someone tipped off the Houston compliance department; the Cougars figure it might have been a church-league player with bruised feelings. When Kellen Sampson called Gray and asked, \u201cDid you play in a church-league game?\u201d Gray\u2019s response was telling:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCoach,\u201d he said, \u201cI was killin\u2019!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

But when Gray\u2019s friend paid a $5 entry fee, he broke NCAA rules. Yeah, it seems silly to him, too.<\/span><\/p>\n

Source:-https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/sports\/ncaab\/2018\/03\/16\/ncaa-tournament-rob-gray-baker-mayfield-reforms-houston\/434220002\/<\/span><\/p>\n

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