KC//CRIMSON
8/11/2006, 04:06 PM
The Wichita Eagle
He leaves Sunday for France, where his professional basketball career begins.
Taj Gray will play for Cholet Basketball, an A League team in the LNB, the Ligue Nationale de Basketball, which translates into the National Basketball League, which isn't to be confused with our country's National Basketball Association.
The NBA remains the goal for Gray, an Oklahoma and Wichita East alumnus, but after going undrafted in June's draft and a summer league stint with the Sacramento Kings that failed to yield a contract, he's having to navigate a different route.
Or flight. Gray has no idea how long the plane trip is going to be to Cholet, a city with a population of 56,300 that is located along the Maine River and is about 255 miles away from Paris.
But he'll be playing power forward for Cholet for at least one season. He has a one-year deal with a base salary of $125,000. His housing will be taken care of, as will his use of a vehicle. Gray said he and teammates also receive a $200 bonus for each victory.
He's not complaining one bit.
"It was the best offer I have right now," Gray said.
So, vive la France.
Gray said he would be joined on Cholet by three other Americans. On the team's Web site, the news of the recent signings of former Hofstra guard Norman Richardson and Rhode Island point guard Tyson Wheeler is splashed on the home page. J.K. Edwards, who played at UNLV, is the other.
Cholet is one of 18 teams in the A League. Every team plays each other twice during the regular season. Twelve teams qualify for the playoffs. Gray says the season begins in a month.
He's excited about the opportunity, intrigued by what it represents.
"My heart is set on the NBA, but I'm going to France to play basketball and experience a new place," Gray said.
link: http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/sports/15248907.htm
He leaves Sunday for France, where his professional basketball career begins.
Taj Gray will play for Cholet Basketball, an A League team in the LNB, the Ligue Nationale de Basketball, which translates into the National Basketball League, which isn't to be confused with our country's National Basketball Association.
The NBA remains the goal for Gray, an Oklahoma and Wichita East alumnus, but after going undrafted in June's draft and a summer league stint with the Sacramento Kings that failed to yield a contract, he's having to navigate a different route.
Or flight. Gray has no idea how long the plane trip is going to be to Cholet, a city with a population of 56,300 that is located along the Maine River and is about 255 miles away from Paris.
But he'll be playing power forward for Cholet for at least one season. He has a one-year deal with a base salary of $125,000. His housing will be taken care of, as will his use of a vehicle. Gray said he and teammates also receive a $200 bonus for each victory.
He's not complaining one bit.
"It was the best offer I have right now," Gray said.
So, vive la France.
Gray said he would be joined on Cholet by three other Americans. On the team's Web site, the news of the recent signings of former Hofstra guard Norman Richardson and Rhode Island point guard Tyson Wheeler is splashed on the home page. J.K. Edwards, who played at UNLV, is the other.
Cholet is one of 18 teams in the A League. Every team plays each other twice during the regular season. Twelve teams qualify for the playoffs. Gray says the season begins in a month.
He's excited about the opportunity, intrigued by what it represents.
"My heart is set on the NBA, but I'm going to France to play basketball and experience a new place," Gray said.
link: http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/sports/15248907.htm