ROSEMONT, Ill. – Two years ago, Chance Gray and Grace VanSlooten walked into the final Pac-12 women’s basketball media day as teammates. Together, the Ohio natives entering their sophomore seasons were on hand to represent Oregon during the 2023-24 preseason.
On Oct. 8, VanSlooten walked into the bathroom inside the Stephens Convention Center as one of Michigan State’s representatives. It was there, of all places, that she ran into her old friend, former teammate and current Big Ten adversary as Gray was getting ready for her interviews as one of Ohio State’s representatives.
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It was a joyful reunion, both women said, as the annual event provided them a chance to reconnect.
“We were just in the bathroom chit-chatting for about 30 minutes catching up,” Gray said. “That will forever be one of my greatest basketball friends. I’m so blessed to have a relationship with her.”
In 2023-24, Oregon went 11-21 as VanSlooten and Gray finished one-two in scoring. VanSlooten averaged 15.0 points and 7.1 rebounds while Gray finished at 13.9 points and 3.0 assists as each player started 31 games. After the season, both entered the transfer portal and wound up closer to home.
VanSlooten, a Toledo-area native, joined the Spartans while the Cincinnati native Gray joined the Buckeyes, staying within the same conference but now as adversaries.
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“It’s weird, but I know she roots for me and I root for her,” VanSlooten said. “It’s a little different when we play each other but I just want her to succeed. I had a great time with her. We have a great friendship and always want the best for her.”
Gray won the only meeting between the schools last season, an 89-78 win at Value City Arena on Feb. 26. Gray finished with 7 points, five assists and two rebounds while VanSlooten was just shy of a double-double with 19 points and nine rebounds. At season’s end, VanSlooten was named second-team all-Big Ten.
She was named to the league’s 10-person all-conference team by both the coaches and media.
Oregon Ducks coach Kelly Graves (center) poses with forward Grace VanSlooten (40) and guard Chance Gray (2) during Pac-12 women’s basketball media day at Park MGM Las Vegas Conference Center on Oct. 10, 2023.
“We still feel like we’re freshmen,” Gray said. “I’m excited to see how she flourishes. She’s a great player and she’s flourished well in the Big Ten. I couldn’t be more proud of her.”
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Gray will have a chance to spoil VanSlooten’s senior day this season. The lone matchup between the Buckeyes and Spartans is March 1 in East Lansing and marks the regular-season finale for both teams.
When they get to that point, it will the one of the final steps in an intertwined college journey that took them from Ohio to Oregon and, on this fall afternoon, the outskirts of Chicago.
“I think she mostly just seems really confident when she’s out on the court,” VanSlooten said. “She seems like she knows what she’s capable of and I’m super proud of her for that. Me personally, I think my mentality is just different. Understanding that we are those good players and we can do these things on the court and can win for our team and provide for our team.
“I think both of us have both really grown mentally.”
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Ohio State men’s basketball beat writer Adam Jardy can be reached at ajardy@dispatch.com, on Bluesky at @cdadamjardy.bsky.social or on Twitter at @AdamJardy.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Chance Gray, Grace VanSlooten return to media day as adversaries
