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Even though they slipped to the fourth pick after having the highest odds of the first, the Grizzlies ended up picking their franchise point guard in Mike Conley. He was named to All-Rookie First Team and was thought to be a key piece of the Grizzlies future. Rudy Gay had a pretty good season though, averaging 10.8 points and 4.5 rebounds. Even though Memphis had Pau Gasol arguably in his greatest seasons, the team finished just 22-60 and were the worst team in the league. They were lacking skillful guards, and Gay was the only small forward on the entire team. Memphis’ roster was very incomplete during Gay’s rookie year. And just like that, Gay was a Memphis Grizzlie whether he liked it or not.
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Houston would trade Gay and Stromile Swift to the Memphis Grizzlies for Shane Battier straight after drafting him. But Gay did not get drafted third overall, nor fourth or fifth, and instead he fell to eighth and finally got picked by the Houston Rockets. He was projected high on many mock drafts, with third being the highest I've seen. People had high hopes on Rudy Gay coming out of college. As a result, UCONN won more games than the previous year and made it to the elite eight before losing to George Mason in a close overtime game. His draft value got boosted after averaging 15.2 points and 6.4 rebounds in his sophomore season. Gay was eligible to enter 2005 NBA draft, but decided that he had more to prove before he got into the big league. In his freshmen season, Gay averaged 12 points and 8 rebounds and brought UCONN to the second round before losing to North Carolina State.
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Gay got numerous scholarships to different colleges, but decided to attend the University of Connecticut, who were coming off of an NCAA championship. This showed, and scouts began to pick up on it. He could shoot a long distance three or drive and throw down a dunk with ease. He was a five star recruit and the fifth ranked basketball player of his class for his athleticism and strength along with the diversity he had of scoring the ball. Rudy Gay played high school basketball at Eastern Technical and Archbishop Spalding, both in Maryland.