The Temple Owls suffered a lot of roster attrition this offseason, with several players entering the transfer portal. One of them was Elijah Gray, a 6’8 "forward from Charlotte. After two years at Fordham, Gray went to Temple, where he became a key piece off the bench.
In 20 mpg, Gray averaged 9.0 ppg and 3.8 rpg, shooting 48% from the field. He scored 10 games of double-digit points, including 17 points in double-overtime against South Florida, along with 10 points and 10 rebounds versus Tulsa.
Now in the portal, three teams have reportedly emerged as the ones to watch in Gray’s recruitment. Here’s a closer look at how he’d fit with each option.
Memphis Tigers
The Tigers are very familiar with Gray from this past season. In fact, they landed his teammate, guard Quante Berry, from the portal. Gray would be a needed addition to the roster, especially assuming that Dain Dainja doesn’t get a waiver to play next season. The team only has OSU transfer Aaron Bradshaw in the frontcourt, so, at the moment, Gray could be the starter for them at the four-spot.
Minnesota Gophers
New coach Niko Medved has landed several transfers so far for the program’s rebuild, including Jaylen Crocker-Johnson (Colorado State), BJ Omot (Cal), and Bobby Durkin (Davidson). Gray certainly can compete with each of them for frontcourt rotation minutes, but could also end up playing less than he did at both Fordham and Temple. It’s a risk compared to the other options.
Washington State Cougars
The Cougars have landed a few frontcourt pieces from the portal, including Simon Hildebrandt (High Point), Eemeli Yalaho (Texas Tech), and Emmanuel Ugbo (Boise State). None have had major production at their previous spots, so Gray could very well come in and be the offense's focal point for the WCC program. However, Wazzu will have the toughest path to the NCAA Tournament compared to the other two spots.