‘I lost hope’: A wild week ends with Ronnie DeGray playing hero in Wichita State debut
When Ronnie DeGray III went to bed Thursday, he was resigned to the fate of sitting out this entire season on the Wichita State men’s basketball team.
A glimmer of hope emerged the day before when a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order against the NCAA regarding its transfer waiver process, opening up the possibility of two-time transfers like DeGray playing during a 14-day window.
The next day, however, the NCAA slammed the door by informing schools that players would risk burning an entire year of eligibility if the court ruling was reversed.
By the end of the day on Thursday, DeGray’s emotions were frayed.
“I lost hope, honestly,” DeGray said.
It was a disheartening 48 hours for DeGray and his parents back home in Parker, Colo., who were in constant communication with WSU head coach Paul Mills, athletic director Kevin Saal and compliance director Korey Torgerson to explain the situation.
The family was already frustrated by the lack of a response from the NCAA on DeGray’s waiver case following his transfer from Missouri. Being given hope, then having it extinguished in such a short span felt cruel.
“I’ve cried so many tears in the last couple of days,” said Michelle DeGray, Ronnie’s mother. “It’s been so maddening. All of the worst words. I even ugly cried on the phone with (Torgerson) just because it was so frustrating.”
But one more twist was on the way on Friday afternoon when the NCAA agreed to terms to convert the temporary restraining order to a preliminary injunction that will last until the end of the season, which paved the way for multi-time transfers to play immediately and for the rest of the season.
After missing the first 10 games of the season, Ronnie faced a dilemma: was it worth it to use one of his final two years of eligibility to play the final 21 regular-season games for the Shockers plus postseason play?
“Shoot, I figured I might as well play,” DeGray said. “I think I can help the guys out and win. I just wanted to play.”
Less than 24 hours after abandoning hope to play this season, DeGray was preparing to make his season debut for the Shockers on Saturday night against Southern Illinois at Koch Arena.
Back home in Parker, Michelle and Ronnie Jr. scrambled to purchase flight tickets from Denver to Wichita around midnight. They weren’t going to miss their son’s first game in a Shocker uniform.
“It was nerve-wracking for me because it was his first game back in so long,” said Ronnie DeGray Jr., a former standout at Colorado who played professionally overseas. “Would he have his wind? Would he have his legs underneath him to go out there and do what we know he can?”
It had been nearly a full year since Ronnie III had played in a college basketball game. He had missed the end of his final season at Mizzou with a knee injury, last appearing in a game on Jan. 21, 2023.
The 6-foot-6 forward played with the Shockers during their summer exhibition tour in Greece, but those were hardly the same as a Division I environment.
“I’ve posted it all over my social media: mercy and grace,” Michelle said. “I told him, ‘Son, you’ve got to give yourself mercy and grace.’ He hasn’t played in six months and before that, he hasn’t played since January. So no one is expecting you to put up video-game numbers.”
When DeGray checked into Saturday’s game with 9:50 left in the first half, he received a standing ovation from the 7,187 fans in attendance.
He brought the crowd to its feet minutes later when he tracked down an offensive rebound (he grabbed four in the first half alone) and slid a back-door pass to a cutting Isaac Abidde for a slam dunk.
“Ronnie was great for us,” said WSU leading scorer Colby Rogers, who sat out last season as a two-time transfer. “He probably kept five or six possessions alive for us just with his energy and his effort.
“I know it’s up and down mentally to go through what he went through and to have your future in somebody else’s hands, but fortunately he was able to play and help us today.”
When crunch time rolled around, DeGray remained a fixture for Mills on the court for the Shockers when the game was being decided.
On the game’s final play, DeGray was underneath the rim when SIU’s Xavier Johnson, the nation’s leading scorer, drove the lane and tried to scoop a shot in for the game-winning basket.
Only DeGray was ready and waiting to pounce, blocking the shot and sending it backward to preserve a 69-68 win for Wichita State.
It was hard to believe a little more than 24 hours earlier, DeGray was ready to sit out an entire year. Now he was already a hero in his first game back.
“I still have goosebumps,” Michelle said a half-hour after the thrilling finish.
“I was just happy,” DeGray said with a smile. “Just happy.”
In 19 minutes off the bench, Mills certainly saw some rust in DeGray. But there’s a reason why the veteran has already earned the trust of the coaching staff.
“He’s got work to do and having not played for some amount of time, that takes its toll,” Mills said. “He messed up some coverages there in the second half, but for the most part, he’s going to compete. He moves his feet very well for a guy his size and you saw his ability to offensive rebound.”
DeGray chuckled when asked to assess his performance, which included two points on 1-of-4 shooting, four rebounds and an assist. He knows he can be better.
“I’ll be better when the time comes,” DeGray said. “I got to get back into it. But I’ll be better and I’m going to help these guys win.”
Sitting in his seat in section 123 behind WSU’s bench, his father beamed with pride following the game-saving play.
He’s been training Ronnie III since he was 5 years old and on Saturday night, the father saw his son apply his teachings. Can a father feel any more proud?
“Ever since he was little, I’ve been telling him to be in the right spot at the right time,” Ronnie Jr. said. “He saw the guy going downhill and he was able to make a play on the ball. Right time, right place. It wasn’t unexpected because this is something we’ve been working on for a very long time.”
This story was originally published December 17, 2023 at 5:51 AM.
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