August 6, 2025 – For Santa Fe Christian alum and Solana Beach native Hayden Gray, the NBA 2K26 Summer League in Las Vegas brings a new jersey, but plenty of familiar faces.

On his off-day, July 15, Gray was back at the Thomas & Mack Center watching former UC San Diego teammate Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones suit up for the Toronto Raptors. The two had already hung out twice during their five days in Vegas.

When Gray made his debut with the Boston Celtics, a supportive group from his high school days — including Santa Fe Christian teammates Keatten Smith and Trevan Martin, as well as his mom Patty and brother Brook — was there to cheer him on.

“Having my high school friends come out means a lot,” Gray said. “Those have been my guys for a long time. Honestly, I can’t even give you an exact date on that — just having them there supporting me was special.”

Also in attendance was Aaron Burgin, a local high school basketball writer, scout and operator of Full-Time Hoops scouting service. Burgin first saw Gray as an 11-year-old playing with the Solana Beach Cats against his son, AJ, a former San Diego prep hoops standout who recently earned a No. 1 player ranking at the Eurobasket Summer League in Las Vegas.

He recalled watching Gray dribbling behind a bench at San Marcos High School and being immediately impressed.

“Kid was a wizard with the rock,” Burgin said. “AJ’s club team played them twice that season, and I was impressed by his ability to defend and pass.”

At 6-foot-4, Gray was defined at UC San Diego by his defensive prowess, culminating in a standout 2024–25 season. The Tritons captured the Big West championship and earned their first-ever NCAA Tournament berth. Gray led all NCAA Division I players with 110 total steals, averaging 3.1 per game.

The March Madness run was a milestone for Gray and teammate Tait-Jones, who led the team in scoring and was named conference tournament MVP. Now, months later, the two are reunited in Las Vegas for a condensed, high-stakes 10-day proving ground, pushing toward professional careers side by side.

Tait-Jones praised Gray as “an awesome guy, not only on the court but off it as well. He’s the nation’s steals leader, a great teammate, and just a solid person to be around — a true team guy.”

Gray returned the sentiment: “We go way back — even playing Division II against each other before becoming teammates at UC San Diego. I’m really happy to see him get these opportunities and make the most of them.”

Through July 16, Gray has appeared in one Summer League game for the Celtics, logging just under two minutes. Although his playing time has been limited, he has remained focused on his role and made the most of his practice sessions.

“I haven’t had the opportunity to play a ton in the games, but during practices, I feel like I am playing well,” Gray said. “My role starts on the defensive end, I’ve been buying into that and trying to do as much as I can when it comes to pressuring the ball, causing turnovers. The first couple days, there was an adjustment because everyone’s a little bit better. The reads you have to make are a little bit quicker. But overall, I mean, I’m happy — it’s the start of a start of a journey.”

Before his college success, Gray was a standout at Santa Fe Christian, graduating in 2021. He helped lead the Eagles to CIF San Diego Section Division I championships in 2018 and 2020.

Gray capped his senior season by guiding SFC to a CIF Division I-A state title. He averaged 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists per game, earning Coastal League MVP and First Team All-CIF honors. He was also a First Team All-Coastal League selection in 2020 and Second Team All-CIF as a junior.

“Hayden is really special on defense with great timing and length, which makes him a monster on that end,” said Jake Hall, a 3,000-point scorer at Carlsbad High School who attended SFC through middle school before transferring as a freshman, and who had originally committed to UC San Diego before recommitting to New Mexico, where he will be a freshman this fall. “He defends at a high level, is a great catch-and-shoot guy, athletic, and makes smart reads. I’ve watched him since sixth grade at Santa Fe Christian and have been a huge fan ever since.”

“When I look back, those were some of the most fun experiences I’ve had with basketball,” added Gray. “As you progress into college and pro ball, there’s more of a business element, so I really appreciate how much fun we had traveling and playing for Santa Fe Christian. We had a great environment and chemistry with guys like Keaton Smith and Trevor Martin — it was just a super fun time.”

Read it here in the Coast News Groups.