For the Garner Trojans, 2011 was a remarkable year and on Wednesday night at the RBC Center, the Trojans added another feather to their cap; as head mens basketball coach, Eddie Gray, was honored with the Raleigh Sports Councils Amateur Athletic Award beating out Keith Marshall (Millbrook High School) and Jesse Williams (Broughton High School/US National Team for Track and Field).
Gray was nominated for the award after his club won the 2011 HighSchoolOT.com Holiday Invitational defeating squads from Houston, Texas, Kinson and the Bronx, New York. He was selected as the winnere after receiving more fan votes online than the other two competitors.
However in typical fashion the head man of the Trojans was click to deflect the attention away from himself, "this isn't an award for me, its for the community, school and all the young people I've had the fortune to coach over the last 35 years." Gray said.
Coach continued, "I'm just so humbled by it and it's never been about me, its been about our school and the things we've been able to accomplish not only on the basketball court but in the classroom as well."
During his acceptance interview he thanked his wife, Susan, for always sticking by him and constantly encouraging him over his 35 years as a coach.
Congratulations to Coach Gray for such a deserving honor.