Allan Ray dribbles left, dribbles right, pulls up and swishes another jump shot. He’ll shoot 300 of them before the day’s over, and he’ll shoot them with no one around. It’s a familiar scene, one that plays out before and after every Villanova men’s basketball practice.

The work is paying off for Ray, a sophomore guard who’s Villanova’s leading scorer and third in the Big East in 3-point percentage. He’ll try to continue his hot play when the Wildcats (14-11, 6-6 Big East) visit the Carrier Dome tonight at 7.

‘Everybody knows how good a shooter Allan Ray is,’ said Rutgers assistant coach Larry DeSimpelare. ‘He’s a really good stroker. He’s one of the most complete players in our league.’

Ray is finally starting to get the credit he feels he deserves. He played most of his high school career at St. Raymond High School in the Bronx under North Carolina State guard and Wooden Award finalist Julius Hodge.

Ray is not bitter about being in Hodge’s shadow. In fact, he believes that some of Hodge rubbed off on him.

‘Playing with Julius everyday was tough,’ Ray said. ‘In practice, we would push each other and test each other out. Every time Julius Hodge did something, I did.’

Following Hodge’s example, Ray would arrive at St. Raymond at 6:30 a.m., the time many students were just waking up, and take as many jump shots as he could before school started. Ray and Hodge would stay and work on their shots more after school. This was their routine everyday, even during the offseason.

‘Allan Ray is one of the hardest workers I ever coached,’ said Gary DeCesare, a current Richmond assistant coach who coached Ray at St. Raymond. ‘He was one of the last ones to leave practice.’

Despite the hard work, Ray never reached his potential at the high school level. He sustained a stress fracture in his foot at the beginning of his senior year and was out most of the season. With Hodge graduating from St. Raymond in 2001, Ray’s chance to emerge from his predecessor’s shadow was cut short.

‘Allan showed tremendous promise,’ Ronald Patnosh, athletic director at St. Raymond said. ‘In his sophomore and junior years, we thought he would be the best jump shooter in the history of the school. He was projected to be our best player in his senior year before he got injured.’

While Ray’s injury hampered his improvement, it did not scare away schools that were looking to recruit him. His modest and polite nature coupled with a sweet jump shot allowed Ray to continue following his dream.

‘His reputation was so great,’ Patnosh said. ‘He was a leader. Even if he wasn’t on his game, he was a difference on the court.’

Ray first realized that he could make a difference in basketball in seventh grade. Ever since then, he has been determined to succeed in the game he loves.

Ray loved basketball so much that he endured his father’s tough workouts. Ray’s father, also named Allan Ray, would strap a weight vest on his son and have him run up and down the bleachers of a local gymnasium.

‘I realized that I really liked basketball,’ Ray said. ‘I kept playing. I watched the NBA and it motivated me. It still motivates me.’

The uncountable hours that Ray has spent in the gym working on his shot has put him at an advantage over most other players. In an era where many basketball players emphasize their ability to dunk or to cross another player over, Ray is a throwback. That doesn’t bother him, though, and he continues to focus on one of the least celebrated aspects of basketball: the jump shot.

‘He has a chance to play for money,’ DeCesare said. ‘He’s one of the most underrated guards in America. Kids today don’t put the time into shooting. It’s a lost art.’

Ray’s sole focus is shooting Villanova back into the NCAA tournament, where the Wildcats have not been since 1999. With Ray quickly becoming a top guard in the Big East and the addition of assistant coach Ed Pinckney, a member of the 1985 Villanova team that won the national championship, Villanova is ready to return.

‘(Pinckney) spoke about how hard you have to work to get there,’ Ray said. ‘Just to know that one of the coaches won the national championship and was really happy, it motivates us to do it more.’

That extra motivation has put Ray into a leadership position on the team. Along with guard Randy Foye and forward Curtis Sumpter, he took charge of a young, but talented Villanova team.

‘I like to lead by example,’ Ray said. ‘I do things on the court and the guys follow my example.’

By following the hard-working Ray, the Wildcats might find themselves deep in the NCAA tournament in the near future.

‘Villanova has one of the most talented rosters and they’re young,’ DeSimpelare said. ‘They have great potential and, Allan is a big part of that.’

If Villanova does find itself succeeding, the shooting guard from the Bronx will most likely be the driving force behind it. For now Ray is content being by himself in the gym, repetitiously shooting the ball. Those who are close to Ray hope that he gets the success he so duly deserves.

‘He understands how to be a shooter,’ DeCesare said. ‘He’s got great court knowledge. He has one of the quickest first steps. He did a great job on his body. He’s a real nice guy. Of all my years of coaching, he’s one of my favorite players.’

Published on February 22, 2004 at 12:00 pm