1st Team All-America Chris Gray Transfers To Carolina

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Chris Gray, a first-team Inside Lacrosse media All-America selection and a second-team USILA coaches All-America honoree in 2019 at Boston University, has completed his plans to transfer to the University of North Carolina men's lacrosse program this week. Gray officially announced his intentions midweek and then formally signed his transfer papers on Thursday. He will join Coach Joe Breschi's program in August.

"I can't tell you how excited I am to join the Tar Heels. I am really looking forward to getting started with the team in the fall and meeting all of the guys," says Gray, who played two years for the Terriers and was one of the Patriot League's exciting young stars. "The team is full of amazing players and even better people. Joining a team with such a rich lacrosse history is exciting. A lot of players from last year's team return as well which is great considering how much talent last year's team had."

"Anytime you can add an experienced player of Chris' caliber, to a young and hungry group of guys on offense, it's beyond exciting for Carolina lacrosse," said UNC head coach Joe Breschi. "He's a humble young man and great teammate who has worked extremely hard to become one of the best attackman in the country and a first-team All-America. The staff, team and UNC community has embraced Chris' commitment to Carolina with open arms. I can't wait for the fall to start."

Gray was a first-team All-Patriot League selection in both 2018 and 2019 and was also named to the Patriot League All-Tournament Team both years. He was the Patriot League Rookie of the Year in 2018 and named to the Tewaaraton Watch List both seasons. As a USILA All-America he was honorable mention as a freshman and second team as a sophomore. In the Inside Lacrosse media All-America accolades he was first-team freshman All-America in 2018 and honorable mention overall before being moved up to the first team squad in 2019. Gray was also a 2019 Tewaaraton nominee his sophomore year amongst his many honors in his two seasons in Boston.
"I am looking forward to next two years with a great group of people, playing big time lacrosse and graduating with an excellent degree," Gray adds. "The goal is to compete for and win a national championship and I am excited to begin this new journey."

Gray's stats at Boston University were nothing short of staggering. He tallied a Patriot League record 111 points as a sophomore, leading the NCAA in the process. He scored 49 goals and was second in the country with 62 assists. He tallied at least three points in 17 games and has at least five points in 15 games. As a freshman he had 30 goals and 41 assists for the Terriers while starting 15 games. At the time the 40 assists and 71 points were program records for a single season.

Gray graduated from Shoreham-Wading High School on Long Island in 2017 where he was a U.S. Lacrosse All-America and played in the Under Armour All-America game. He led Long Island in scoring his final two seasons in high school, tallying 101 points as a junior and 115 points as a senior.

IN HIS OWN WORDS: MORE ON WHY GRAY CHOSE THE TAR HEELS
"When I began the search for another school I really didn't know what to expect. I was overwhelmed by inquiries from some really great programs and more importantly great coaches and players. I got my first dose of clarity when Coaches (Joe) Breschi and (Kevin) Unterstein came to my house. They arrived with a well thought out plan of where I fit in academically, athletically and socially at UNC. It was really calming to me and I knew right then that I wanted to visit campus.

"Prior to visiting Chapel Hill I did some research on the school and the team and I was unsure of what I was more impressed with. Some of the academic opportunities the coaches proposed seemed to be a great fit and the lacrosse was very impressive. I watched a lot of their 2019 games and was blown away by their talent and the pace at which the team played.

"One of the things I was worried about when trying to find the right school was team chemistry. I wanted to find a team that had a place for me but fitting in with the guys on the team was just as important. Almost immediately after hitting the transfer portal players from the team began reaching out to me. I think I got call or texts from the majority of the team. Having the peace of mind knowing that I would be welcomed with open arms to a team like UNC is something that I thought was really special.

"The visit to UNC was amazing. I spent the morning touring the campus with Coach (David) Metzbower and talking about the offense which was awesome. We walked the entire campus stopping in all its facilities, academic and athletic, and it really just felt like a place where I could see myself. I also had the opportunity to meet a couple of players on the team and have lunch with them which was great.

"On the academic side of things, I was really appreciative of the time spent with (academic advisor) Mike Greene from academic support. When I arrived in his office he had already prepared several different academic options for me and spent a lot of time discussing were he thought I fit best. He made it very clear that I would have a lot of different majors to pick from and they were all really appealing to me."

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