Sunday, July 12, 2015

Former Delaware State Hornets Keep NBA Dreams Alive

COURTESY DELAWARE STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS
DOVER, Delaware -- Former Delaware State standouts Kendall Gray (Dover, Del.) and Amere May (So. Haven, Mich.) have taken the first step in their pursuit of National Basketball Association careers.

Gray is currently competing with the Detroit Pistons NBA Summer League team, while May is a member of the Chicago Bulls summer squad. Each is hoping to make a good enough impression during the summer stint to earn a NBA training camp invitation this coming season.

The former Hornet greats drew the attention of NBA teams after eye-popping senior seasons to help lead DSU to the 2015 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship game.

Gray was selected as the 2014-15 MEAC Player-of-the-Year and Defensive Player-of-the-Year, joining current NBA standout Kyle O’Quinn (Norfolk State) as the only MEAC players to achieve the feat.

Gray was tops in the MEAC and tied for first among NCAA Division I players in rebounding at 11.8 per game last season. He also led the league and ranked 15th in the nation in blocks at 2.8 per contest.

The national spotlight shined on Gray when he became the first player in recorded NCAA Division I history to reach 30 points and 30 rebounds in a game. He scored a career-high 33 points and grabbed 30 rebounds in the Hornets’ 104-92 victory at Coppin State on Mar. 5.

Gray is Delaware State’s career leader with 305 blocks. He also holds the top three records for blocks in a single season.

May was also a 2014-15 All-MEAC First Team selection. He led the league and ranked fifth among all Div. I players in scoring at 21.0 points per game last season. He tallied 671 points during his senior year, the third-best single season mark in team history.

May also made national headlines with a 48-point performance at St. Francis on Dec. 17, the second highest total in school history and tops in Div. I last season.

He scored 40 points vs. Coppin State on March 5, and poured in 32 in the Hornets’ upset of Wake Forest on Nov. 28.

Emanual Davis (1988-91) in the only Delaware State player to compete in the NBA, logging six seasons between the Houston Rockets, Atlanta Hawks and Seattle Sonics.

COURTESY DELAWARE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION    

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