Crenshaw Cougars senior guard Corey Ray is a multi-sport athlete, playing basketball and tennis. He is the co-captain of the boys basketball team, leading them to a 15-12 overall record and the Coliseum League title with a 8-1 record.
In tennis, the team had a 5-9 overall record. Ray plays in mainly singles competitions. Both the tennis and basketball teams qualified for the City Section Playoffs this year.
A chance to play tennis came when he was in the ninth grade.
“The basketball season was over, unfortunately, I wasn’t put to varsity. I had nothing to do.” Ray said. “I didn’t know what tennis was, but I knew it’s a lot of footwork and a lot of hand-eye coordination. I thought it would help me with my basketball game.”
Growing up, Ray played basketball frequently through various basketball programs and played for the parks and recreation team at Baldwin Hills.
This past season, he was selected as Player of the Game twice when Crenshaw battled against Wiseburn-Da Vinci in December and when he played against St. Bernard in January.
Ray has a 3.1 GPA, his favorite book is “Catcher and the Rye.”
“I just like how he’s like a rebel,” he said. “He stays on is own, he’s been trying to grow up without any help.”
To stay on top of his work, Ray works on tougher assignments before easier ones. His tennis coach is understanding if he has to take on important tasks. His AP English teacher from his junior year taught him how to write better essays while his Algebra 2 teacher taught him to stay focused.
As a senior, he is taking AP English and Economics. To finish his school work, Ray would stay at the after-school program at Crenshaw to get his work done. He also uses technology to hold himself accountable in those classes.
“I use my phone,” he said “I use that to remind me what I got to do and what due the next day.”
Ray has been in the Upward Bound program since he was in the 10th grade. His favorite Upward Bound class was Sociology. The high number of essays he had to write during his first year in the program helped him succeed during his second year.
“I got all A’s in my three classes there,” Ray said.
During his junior year, Ray was a member of Community Coalition. The organization was like a second home to Ray.
“They have the same resources that any other school has, tutors, math tutors, a great facility,” he said. “I met a lot of people there that I can talk to.”
Ray aspires to graduate from college, he received acceptance letters from San Francisco State and Sacramento State Universities.
“I don’t know what I want to do yet,” he said. “As soon as I go to College, I’m gonna see what my options are and see what happens.”
Student Athletes with high GPAs and experience with student organizations or volunteer work make great candidates for student athlete of the week. Email [email protected] to nominate a student athlete. Cheerleaders and dance team members also qualify.
