Player Spotlight: 2026 Jayden Gray

Houston Wilson January 3, 2022 @ 08:46 PM

One of the top all around players that Prep Hoops Next was able to see at “Duel In The Desert” was 2026 Jayden Gray of San Diego Prospects. Gray has the ability to score the ball whenever he wants to and…

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One of the top all around players that Prep Hoops Next was able to see at “Duel In The Desert” was 2026 Jayden Gray of San Diego Prospects. Gray has the ability to score the ball whenever he wants to and showed that he can score it many different ways. Gray, who is currently 6’0, has been one of the top 2026 guards we have seen so far this year from the west coast. PHN was able to catch up with his father and coach, Will Gray, to talk about how Jayden is used on their team along with many other things.

“He can be used anywhere one through five for us. What makes him special and different for our team is that he has the ability to play each of those positions for us depending who we have on the court, what the situation calls for either offensively or defensively. We have asked him to guard the bigs, we have asked him to guard the point guards. Offensively he can shoot it from the perimeter but he also has the quickness to beat guys to the basket and he can post up defenders if needed.”

Right now Gray has all of the tools and size to be a very good two way player in the high school ranks. However, the one thing that really stood out during his time at “Duel In The Desert” was his ability to score the basketball at a very high level and his father talked to us about that.

“He has gotten better over the last year and a half with his ability to score. He used to be just bigger than everybody else so he would bully his way to the basket. Over the last year he has worked tremendously on his jumper and he is getting to a clip where now he shoots a three and we expect it to go in. He is one of our top three point shooters and he has found a consistent mid range. We call it three tier scoring where he can go inside, he can shoot it well from midrange and he can make it from three point range.”

Jayden and his father are getting a lot of good feedback about Jayden’s future and there is a lot to like about Gray’s game.

“He definitely has a high ceiling, Will Gray said. “He has always had the high level scoring but he has also ramped up his defensive game recently. He knows that becoming a better defensive player will just help his overall game tremendously. His game has grown the most on the defensive end and I expect it to continue to grow. He is a natural scorer and can score against some of the best but we want him to be able to defend the best player on opposing teams and that is what is going to be able to separate him from others.”

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Prep Hoops Next prospect rankings have been compiled by our staff with input from high school and club coaches from across the country. Players are ranked formulaically based on their current production as well as their long-term potential as collegiate prospects. We aim to expand and update our prospects rankings several times per year to continue to maintain the most comprehensive, accurate prospect rankings in the country. Feel like we are missing someone? Let us know here and get on our radar by submitting your profile!