'This is Family': Josh Gray Adjusting Well to Mizzou Culture

The former South Carolina transfer hasn't been with the Missouri Tigers long, but he's been a big piece of their rise back to contention in the SEC.

Dec. 3, 2024; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers center Josh Gray (33) huddles with teammates during a game against the California Golden Bears at Mizzou Arena. / Amber Winkler/MissouriOnSI

Josh Gray wishes he had always been a Missouri Tiger.

Well, maybe not a time before Dennis Gates took over the head coaching position, but the majority of his career nevertheless. After a limited freshman year with the LSU Tigers and three seasons with the South Carolina Gamecocks, Gray made the move during the 2024 transfer portal to join Missouri.

Though he came into a new environment at the tail-end of his collegiate career, the transition has been made relatively easy for Gray. The family-like culture that Gates has established have made the fit seem natural, and Columbia, Mo., now feels like home.

"The environment that I'm in now is such a different environment than what I'm used to," Gray said in a press conference Thursday. "Everything that I've absorbed here, that I've got to witness and be a part of, it's been great ... I wish I had more time."

It wasn't completely easy at first. Little changes like practice in the morning instead of the afternoon differed from his previous stops. But absorbing everything has only gotten easier with time. Doing it with a group of players and a coaching staff that treat him as one of their own only helps that.

"It's a real tight group here," Gray said. "So now that I have that, it's like, kind of trying to adjust to letting my guard down a little bit, trusting more, and all that stuff."

One of the biggest challenges Gates proposed to Gray initially was to simply use his voice. He isn't a particularly extroverted person, but the game of basketball demands communication. Especially as the defensive anchor down low when he's on the court, it's key for helping the defense flow.

Even if the senior is doing everything right, without talking, some of his teammates might not to get to the right spots or make the right reads on opponents.

"You can't really expect everyone to know what I'm thinking or make it as seamless as I make it sometimes," Gray said. "Sometimes you have to talk and lead your teammates through certain defensive schemes and certain sets on the court."

Aside from communication, being a leader and not being "standoffish" have been key areas of improvement for Gray. He's aware of the fact he enjoys his privacy and isn't always social, but if the Tigers are to be a family, he has to always been involved.

There's always going to be areas for Gray to improve in his game, too. While definitely not thought of as a scorer, sometimes the flow of the game calls for it. Off the offensive rebound, there's times where he could go up with the ball instead of kicking it out to shooters on the perimeter.

Ultimately though, Gray has been important in Missouri's success this season. The center position has been a struggle under Gates, but he serves as a reliable option when a big man is needed in the game. He isn't expected to be a star, but without the things he adds, the Tigers wouldn't be the same.

In just a few months, Gray and the Missouri program have fully embraced each other.

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