After three years loaded with program records falling and historic seasons, third-years JJ Gray and Brady Groves will be taking their talents to Long Beach State University and Columbia University, respectively, this upcoming fall.
In Gray’s time with the Crimson and Gold, he was a three-time second-team North Coast Athletic Conference selection. Standing at 6’7”, Gray averaged 15.4 points per game in his career and surpassed 1,000 career points in three seasons, becoming the 28th player in program history to reach four-digit career scoring and just the third to do so in three years.
Men’s Basketball Head Coach Shiva Senthil first saw Gray play in Section 7, a major West Coast high school basketball tournament.
“He stood out as a really, really talented kid,” Senthil said. “He’s always been a big guard … and we thought he had a chance to be a special player at this level.”
Senthil was the first coach to reach out to Gray in the summer following his junior year; he was a part of Senthil’s first recruiting class.
“As we got to know [Gray] through the process, we learned how good a person he was,” Senthil continued. “When we got [him] here, we realized he was going to be a game-changer, a perfect prospect for us.”
The year before Gray arrived, the program went 8–18.
“I’m so appreciative [that he] took a chance on a program,” Senthil said. “He could have [gone] to places that already had a winning track record, but he really valued the relationships we had with him.”
In Gray’s three years with the Yeomen, the program was 40–38.
Gray is graduating in three years with a degree in Economics. After arriving in his freshman fall with dual enrollment credits from high school, Gray and his roommate, Dut Lual, realized toward the end of their freshman year that they would have enough credits to graduate early. Knowing since high school that he wanted to pursue a master’s degree in financial analytics, this allowed Gray to further his education while exploring basketball at higher levels by taking his fourth year of NCAA eligibility elsewhere.
In the transfer portal, Gray heard from almost 30 schools. The NCAC Newcomer of the Year and District Seven Rookie of the Year in the 2023–24 season was fielding offers from Division I, Division II, Division III, and National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics schools.
“It was a super stressful time,” Gray recalled. “I was getting calls during class. It was awful.”
Hailing from Fountain Valley, CA, and attending Fountain Valley High School, Gray had his sights set on returning home to play DI basketball at the University of California, Irvine. After getting into the school academically, the coaching staff informed him that they would only be recruiting centers in the transfer portal. Shortly after, he received a call from an unknown number.
“It was just a roller coaster of emotions,” Gray said after learning UCI would not recruit him. “I was in the computer lab running a data regression for my seminar. I’m already frazzled … I’m down in the dumps. It was literally 30 minutes after — I got a call, and it was Long Beach. So I was all over the place.”
Long Beach was not on Gray’s radar until his former middle school coach reached out. Jacob Eyman, the director of player relations at Long Beach, was a former professional player overseas in Australia and Albania and was Gray’s trainer when he stood no taller than 5’5”.
“It’s funny how that connection [worked],” Gray continued. “I guess you never really know who you’re connecting with.”
And although Gray’s time on the court at Oberlin has come to an end, the relationships he formed are only just beginning.
“In 50 years, when I look back at Oberlin, it sounds cliché, but I’m going to be most thankful for the friendships I made here,” Gray said. “We have guys from Greece, Montenegro, [and] Ukraine … I know so much more about other countries and other cultures now.”
Lual, his classmate and close friend, is from South Sudan.
“You can’t read a book and actually know what Dut went through,” Gray continued. “Him being my best friend for three years, I can’t get that anywhere else. In that aspect, that’s what I’m most grateful for. I could not have asked for a better college.”
In Groves’ three years with the Yeomen, he was a one-time all-NCAC selection – and a likely selection this year based on his production. The right fielder ripped seven triples in 2024 to set the single-season triples record; his .346 career batting average sits tied for fifth (minimum 250 at-bats) in program history, and his 29 career doubles rank sixth all-time.
Baseball Head Coach Johnathan Ray saw Groves in-person for the first time at a high academic camp in New York.
“The first thing that really jumped out was the athleticism,” Ray recalled. “He’s always been … a dynamic athlete. Watching him run around the outfield and [watching him] take swings is what [I was] initially interested in. Whether he was facing a plus high school arm or just an average one, you could tell he had that competitiveness that really separates guys.”
In Groves’ freshman year, he slashed .382/.573/.426 and recorded 60 hits — the fifth most in a single season in program history.
“He had an unbelievable first year where he really didn’t face too much adversity,” Ray continued. “I think the biggest part of his game that he’s grown has been the mental side. And over his last two years, teams have adjusted to him. Teams have made him a priority. For him, it’s been big [to be] able to mentally understand how to get [to] his pitches, how to get his swings off, and [growing] from there.”
Groves credits his success at Oberlin to having access to the facilities Oberlin offered at anytime and finding a close-knit group of teammates to work with.
“Not having just the set time that you can practice, [but also] being able to go in at any time from noon to midnight was huge,” Groves said. “I really appreciated the small group work that we did on top of regular practice. That helped a lot [with] skill development and being around a group of guys who wanted to be the best they could.”
The year before Groves arrived, the baseball team finished 11–24. This past season, the Yeomen finished 18–19–2, recording their most wins since 2017.
“That feels like a special thing for me because it feels like I have actually made an impact in something,” Groves continued. “I feel like being a part of [Coach Ray’s] first recruiting class … making an impact to where we could have fun and be good [was meaningful].”
And while admission into Columbia through the 3-2 Engineering Program is nearly guaranteed, upon receiving his acceptance academically, Groves still had to earn a spot on the roster.
Ray had met Canyon Kyle, the director of player development and camps at Columbia, at a plethora of prior recruiting events.
“[Coach Ray] put me in touch with [Kyle], and once I got into the school, I had a phone call with him, and he put me in contact with the head coach,” Groves said.
This upcoming season, Groves will be fulfilling a goal he set for himself in high school.
“The last three years have been very special,” Groves said. “But in my junior year of high school, the goal was to play baseball at a really good academic [DI] school. Fulfilling that dream is very cool.”
While Groves will be lacing them up for the Lions this upcoming season, Oberlin will always be home.
“I’ve made lifelong friendships here, and I have great relationships with the coaching staff,” Groves said. “I truly care about people on the team. I’ll be keeping track of stats and watching videos. [Although] I won’t physically be there, I’m trying to still be a big fan of everybody on the team next year.”
