Marquise Gray

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Marquise Gray
Beecher Basketball Legend, Michigan State Star, Professional Basketball Player, Current Coach of Beecher Bucs Basketball

March 23, 2022

Marquise Gray went through the gauntlet of Flint temptations like most other kids who grew up in the city did. But most kids didn’t grow to be 6-9 basketball stars. Although Flint certainly had more than it’s share of this folks. Gray recognizes that his story could have gone sideways on more than one occasion but the primary reason it never did is because of the stability of the home he grew up in, the care and attention of his mom and dad, and the notion of right and wrong that he had poured in to his head from the moment his drew his first breath.

That foundation served him well as he navigated the rough terrain of growing up in the Beecher District and making smart choices along the way. Without question one of the smartest was to focus on his passion for basketball. Playing at the storied program that is Beecher High Hoops was only the start. He was named the Division 3 Michigan High School Player of The Year in 2004 after leading the Bucs to the Division 3 Regional Finals, finishing 4th in the Michigan Mr. Basketball voting. He learned lessons there that helped him transcend his obstacles, and most of his contemporaries, and land a full ride scholarship at Michigan State University where he competed for Tom Izzo, and helped lead the Spartans to the Final Four in 2009.

Following his college career Gray played 7 seasons professionally around the world and ultimately returned to his roots and found himself helping out legendary Beecher coach Mike Williams. He found himself going from volunteer unpaid helper, to Assistant Coach, to Head Coach. Along the way he helped lead Beecher to two Michigan State Championships.

As storied as Grays’s athletic career has been it’s really in his personal skills where he sets himself apart. He brings a skill set in that area to the Beecher program that is second to none. After talking with him we came away incredibly impressed with his savvy grasp of the modern game, recruiting, dealing with parents, the public and public relations and doing it all in one of the more challenging areas of the state relative to social an economic issues. While Gray is the top man at Beecher now, it’s almost impossible not to picture him roaming the sidelines of a Division 1 college bench or perhaps even in the NBA someday. He would command respect in either venue, and his communications and business skills would that make him a significant catch for any of those programs. For now, he’s an ‘instant classic’ in the Flint area and another brick in the wall that is the legend of Beecher High Basketball.

Join Fish and Marquise as they dive in to a slam dunk in the famous Fish Tank and Aquarium that is “Fish and The Flint Chronicles!”

Marquise making Fish look really tiny

Marquise telling the Big Wheel story

Playing for MSU!

Marquise with MSU Coach Izzo

Beecher Buc LEGEND!