Chris Gray and Nicky Solomon
Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati
GoHeels Exclusive: A Perfect Fit
February 3, 2020 | Men's Lacrosse, Featured Writers
By Pat James, GoHeels.com
Long before they ever met, Joe Breschi heard tales of Chris Gray.
But it wasn't until shortly after the heralded Boston University attackman and All-American announced his decision to transfer last May that Breschi and his North Carolina staff first saw what everyone had been raving about.
From his vision to his dodging ability, Gray's film confirmed he's a special player. So did the feedback of a few Patriot League coaches. Not until he met Gray, though, could Breschi get an idea of what he wanted to know most: how Gray would fit in personality-wise at UNC.
Any concerns Breschi might have had about that were eased when he and defensive coordinator Kevin Unterstein visited Gray and his family at their home in Wading River, N.Y. They were all but gone after Gray visited Chapel Hill a few weeks later.
"When he stepped on campus here, it fit like a glove," Breschi said. "And I think that was the most exciting part for us."
Still, there was the matter of if Gray felt the same way.
Gray went on to visit a couple of other schools, Breschi said, and told the coaches he'd make his decision after the weekend. Days went by, and Breschi didn't hear anything. So he eventually called Gray's father, Ken. When Ken answered, he told Breschi that he and Gray were at a New York Yankees game, but his son would call soon. Minutes later, Breschi's phone rang.
"He called me under the bleachers of the Yankee game and said, 'We're celebrating,'" Breschi said. "And I'm like, 'What are you celebrating?' He goes, 'I'm committing to Carolina.' That was kind of a neat moment for all this to come together."
On June 22, UNC announced Gray's transfer. And everything that's happened since then has further proved that Gray was exactly the sort of player – and person – Breschi hoped he'd be.
It's also affirmed Gray made the right choice.
"After my first week here, I was talking to a lot of my friends from home and was like, 'It feels like I've been here my first two years,'" Gray said. "That's all credit to the guys on the team. On the field, everyone is amazing and so talented. And then off the field, everyone is such a nice guy. You can go up to any guy on the team and have a genuine conversation with them. So, really, my teammates just made me feel at home from the start."
Gray's journey here began in first grade, when he followed in the footsteps of his older brother, Nick, by picking up a lacrosse stick. Throughout his childhood, Gray played several other sports, most notably basketball and football. But neither making a 3-pointer or scoring a touchdown, he said, compared to the feeling of scoring a goal or providing an assist on the lacrosse field.
Gray continued playing basketball, football and lacrosse through his sophomore year at Shoreham-Wading River High School. Then, as a junior, he stopped playing basketball, a decision that greatly impacted his lacrosse career.
With his winters free, Gray started training at Revolution Athletics, a highly-regarded facility on Long Island. Immediately he saw a noticeable jump in his strength and speed. He also experienced a significant spike in his production.
As a junior and senior, Gray led Long Island in points and was a US Lacrosse All-American. He even earned an invite to the 2017 Under Armour All-American game, where he scored two goals. The more success he had, the more attention he received from the nation's top programs. But in the end, he still decided to go to BU, the school he committed to as a sophomore.
"Because of the connection I had with the school there and my coaches, I just didn't really feel a reason to leave," he said. "I felt like I could do some cool things at BU and just wanted to really make the most of my situation. They were the first school to kind of show me love and take me in. So, I felt that I should pay them respect and just give everything I've got to them."
He did that and more.
Gray said he took things slow as he acclimated to the college game. But his freshman stats suggest otherwise. With 40 assists and 71 points, he established single-season program records and earned USILA and Inside Lacrosse All-America honorable mention honors.
As a sophomore, Gray proved even more lethal, tallying 62 assists and 111 points. Those marks ranked second and first, respectively, in Division I before the NCAA Tournament, which the Terriers missed. His 49 goals were the eighth most nationally at the time.
Gray refuses to take much credit for his success. Instead, he insists it was largely due to his coaches and teammates, who he tried to absorb as much information as possible from.
"The two years that I had at BU are the reason why I'm the player I am today," Gray said. "I can confidently say I wouldn't be here without those guys who I met there and the coaching staff there, especially the offensive coordinator, Coach (Mike) Silipo, who dedicated a lot of time with me to be a better player. So, I will forever cherish those two years."
Never during that time did Gray ever consider transferring. But as an economics major who "wanted to major in some kind of business," he said he started thinking of leaving BU after his sophomore season.
The weeks that followed Gray's transfer announcement were, in some ways, overwhelming. Several schools came calling, expressing their interest. Few, however, came at Gray harder than UNC, with almost every player contacting him within days of him entering the transfer portal. Ultimately, that and his visit with Breschi and Unterstein convinced him to visit Chapel Hill.
Upon arriving, Gray shook Breschi's hand and thanked him for hosting him, a small gesture that went a long way with the head coach. And after spending time with the players, coaches and academic adviser Mike Greene, Gray said he felt a sense of comfort.
"I just felt like my home was here," he said. "And that's kind of what I based my decision off at the end of the day was where I could fit in academically, athletically and socially."
Gray's humbleness, perhaps as much as anything, made Breschi believe Gray would prioritize the program's core values of family, academics and lacrosse. One of Gray's biggest realizations over the last seven months has been just how much those words mean.
"Every team kind of says that and most teams do it," Gray said. "But once I got here, from the first day I was here until now I can see why it's part of the saying. No one is more important than the program and each guy next to you is going to have your back no matter what."
As much as that's helped Gray acclimate off the field, it's eased his transition on it.
Gray said it took about two weeks of fall practices for him to grasp the Tar Heels' offense. Since then, he's worked on picking up his teammates' tendencies as they've learned his. Heading into the season opener against Colgate on Saturday, Breschi said that was still a work in progress. But the offense had shown signs of immense potential.
With the additions of Gray and Lance Tillman and the returns of Nicky Solomon and Alex Trippi, among others, Breschi believes UNC's attack could be the most explosive it's been since 2016. Carolina's performance Saturday did nothing to quell that thought, as the Tar Heels scored 14 first-half goals – their most in a half since the first half of the 2016 NCAA semifinal game against Loyola – en route to a 19-6 win. Gray tallied six points (4g, 2a) in his UNC debut.
"Now you feel like, 'Wow, we can attack from all angles,' which makes us tough to defend," said Breschi, referencing Gray's impact. "With his ability off the end line to see the field, to shoot, to dodge, to turn the corner, and his toughness, he's a special player."
Since capturing the 2016 national title, the Tar Heels have gone 23-22 over the last three seasons and missed the last two NCAA Tournaments. Now settled in his new home, Gray hopes to lead them back there.
"Coming off last year, I know the guys on the team felt like they could have achieved a lot more," Gray said. "It kind of just motivates them to play hard every day. And then me being a new transfer, feeding off that mentality and doing everything I can to help the guys succeed is why I'm here."
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Long before they ever met, Joe Breschi heard tales of Chris Gray.
But it wasn't until shortly after the heralded Boston University attackman and All-American announced his decision to transfer last May that Breschi and his North Carolina staff first saw what everyone had been raving about.
From his vision to his dodging ability, Gray's film confirmed he's a special player. So did the feedback of a few Patriot League coaches. Not until he met Gray, though, could Breschi get an idea of what he wanted to know most: how Gray would fit in personality-wise at UNC.
Any concerns Breschi might have had about that were eased when he and defensive coordinator Kevin Unterstein visited Gray and his family at their home in Wading River, N.Y. They were all but gone after Gray visited Chapel Hill a few weeks later.
"When he stepped on campus here, it fit like a glove," Breschi said. "And I think that was the most exciting part for us."
Still, there was the matter of if Gray felt the same way.
Gray went on to visit a couple of other schools, Breschi said, and told the coaches he'd make his decision after the weekend. Days went by, and Breschi didn't hear anything. So he eventually called Gray's father, Ken. When Ken answered, he told Breschi that he and Gray were at a New York Yankees game, but his son would call soon. Minutes later, Breschi's phone rang.
"He called me under the bleachers of the Yankee game and said, 'We're celebrating,'" Breschi said. "And I'm like, 'What are you celebrating?' He goes, 'I'm committing to Carolina.' That was kind of a neat moment for all this to come together."
On June 22, UNC announced Gray's transfer. And everything that's happened since then has further proved that Gray was exactly the sort of player – and person – Breschi hoped he'd be.
It's also affirmed Gray made the right choice.
"After my first week here, I was talking to a lot of my friends from home and was like, 'It feels like I've been here my first two years,'" Gray said. "That's all credit to the guys on the team. On the field, everyone is amazing and so talented. And then off the field, everyone is such a nice guy. You can go up to any guy on the team and have a genuine conversation with them. So, really, my teammates just made me feel at home from the start."
Gray's journey here began in first grade, when he followed in the footsteps of his older brother, Nick, by picking up a lacrosse stick. Throughout his childhood, Gray played several other sports, most notably basketball and football. But neither making a 3-pointer or scoring a touchdown, he said, compared to the feeling of scoring a goal or providing an assist on the lacrosse field.
Gray continued playing basketball, football and lacrosse through his sophomore year at Shoreham-Wading River High School. Then, as a junior, he stopped playing basketball, a decision that greatly impacted his lacrosse career.
With his winters free, Gray started training at Revolution Athletics, a highly-regarded facility on Long Island. Immediately he saw a noticeable jump in his strength and speed. He also experienced a significant spike in his production.
As a junior and senior, Gray led Long Island in points and was a US Lacrosse All-American. He even earned an invite to the 2017 Under Armour All-American game, where he scored two goals. The more success he had, the more attention he received from the nation's top programs. But in the end, he still decided to go to BU, the school he committed to as a sophomore.
"Because of the connection I had with the school there and my coaches, I just didn't really feel a reason to leave," he said. "I felt like I could do some cool things at BU and just wanted to really make the most of my situation. They were the first school to kind of show me love and take me in. So, I felt that I should pay them respect and just give everything I've got to them."
He did that and more.
Gray said he took things slow as he acclimated to the college game. But his freshman stats suggest otherwise. With 40 assists and 71 points, he established single-season program records and earned USILA and Inside Lacrosse All-America honorable mention honors.
As a sophomore, Gray proved even more lethal, tallying 62 assists and 111 points. Those marks ranked second and first, respectively, in Division I before the NCAA Tournament, which the Terriers missed. His 49 goals were the eighth most nationally at the time.
Gray refuses to take much credit for his success. Instead, he insists it was largely due to his coaches and teammates, who he tried to absorb as much information as possible from.
"The two years that I had at BU are the reason why I'm the player I am today," Gray said. "I can confidently say I wouldn't be here without those guys who I met there and the coaching staff there, especially the offensive coordinator, Coach (Mike) Silipo, who dedicated a lot of time with me to be a better player. So, I will forever cherish those two years."
Never during that time did Gray ever consider transferring. But as an economics major who "wanted to major in some kind of business," he said he started thinking of leaving BU after his sophomore season.
The weeks that followed Gray's transfer announcement were, in some ways, overwhelming. Several schools came calling, expressing their interest. Few, however, came at Gray harder than UNC, with almost every player contacting him within days of him entering the transfer portal. Ultimately, that and his visit with Breschi and Unterstein convinced him to visit Chapel Hill.
Upon arriving, Gray shook Breschi's hand and thanked him for hosting him, a small gesture that went a long way with the head coach. And after spending time with the players, coaches and academic adviser Mike Greene, Gray said he felt a sense of comfort.
"I just felt like my home was here," he said. "And that's kind of what I based my decision off at the end of the day was where I could fit in academically, athletically and socially."
Gray's humbleness, perhaps as much as anything, made Breschi believe Gray would prioritize the program's core values of family, academics and lacrosse. One of Gray's biggest realizations over the last seven months has been just how much those words mean.
"Every team kind of says that and most teams do it," Gray said. "But once I got here, from the first day I was here until now I can see why it's part of the saying. No one is more important than the program and each guy next to you is going to have your back no matter what."
As much as that's helped Gray acclimate off the field, it's eased his transition on it.
Gray said it took about two weeks of fall practices for him to grasp the Tar Heels' offense. Since then, he's worked on picking up his teammates' tendencies as they've learned his. Heading into the season opener against Colgate on Saturday, Breschi said that was still a work in progress. But the offense had shown signs of immense potential.
With the additions of Gray and Lance Tillman and the returns of Nicky Solomon and Alex Trippi, among others, Breschi believes UNC's attack could be the most explosive it's been since 2016. Carolina's performance Saturday did nothing to quell that thought, as the Tar Heels scored 14 first-half goals – their most in a half since the first half of the 2016 NCAA semifinal game against Loyola – en route to a 19-6 win. Gray tallied six points (4g, 2a) in his UNC debut.
"Now you feel like, 'Wow, we can attack from all angles,' which makes us tough to defend," said Breschi, referencing Gray's impact. "With his ability off the end line to see the field, to shoot, to dodge, to turn the corner, and his toughness, he's a special player."
Since capturing the 2016 national title, the Tar Heels have gone 23-22 over the last three seasons and missed the last two NCAA Tournaments. Now settled in his new home, Gray hopes to lead them back there.
"Coming off last year, I know the guys on the team felt like they could have achieved a lot more," Gray said. "It kind of just motivates them to play hard every day. And then me being a new transfer, feeding off that mentality and doing everything I can to help the guys succeed is why I'm here."
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