Season 3 of Athletes Unlimited Pro Basketball was defined by greatness. Or, Graytness, as Allisha Gray is the 2024 AU Pro Basketball Champion.
From the jump, Gray claimed ownership of the court at Fair Park Coliseum in Dallas, TX, consistently impacting the action on both ends of the floor. The 6,918 points she accumulated across the four weeks of play—the most leaderboard points in AU history—testifies to her all-round excellence. Her 872-point advantage over second place finisher Odyssey Sims (6,046 points) also is the largest margin in AU hoops history. Kierstan Bell (5,689 points) finished third, while Natasha Cloud (5,602 points) rounded out the top four.
On her AU performance, Gray said:
My game does the speaking for me, my game speaks loud for me. I’m a leader by example, so I’m not going to change who I am. I’ve been a pro for eight years, it is getting a job done… I just continue being me and doing what I do best and that’s get buckets on the court.
Gray was not the only AU Pro Basketball athlete leaving Dallas with hardware. Tiffany Mitchell was named Newcomer of the Year, while Emily Engstler earned Defensive Player of the Year. Engstler also was one of five players selected to the All-Defensive Team, which included Laeticia Amihere, Sydney Colson, Natasha Cloud and Lexie Hull.
Now, onto how Gray cemented her champion status and who else showed out during Week 4:
Team Cloud over Team Sims, 89-78
A 4-for-6 effort from behind the arc carried Tiffany Mitchell to a game-high 26 points and, in turn, Mitchell carried Team Cloud to nine-point win, 89-78. She also secured MVP 1 recognition. Natasha Cloud added 12 points and five assists as MVP 3, while Kalani Brown contributed 13 points, eight boards and three blocks. The combination of Odyssey Sims and Air Hearn did their best to keep Team Sims in contact; Sims had 25 points and eight assists, with Hearn scoring 21 points.
Team Bell over Team Gray, 88-83
Another Mitchell—Kelsey Mitchell, in this case—proved crucial to the winning side, as she scored 25 points for Team Bell in the 88-83 victory over Team Gray. Mitchell was the game’s MVP 1. Captain Kierstan Bell had 20 points, matching Mitchell with a trio of made 3s. Their hot start situated Team Bell for the win, as Team Gray won both the third and fourth quarters after the clubs split the second period.
Even in defeat, Allisha Gray’s dynamic dominance of AU Season 3 was not dulled. She scored game-high 32 points, grabbed seven boards, tossed six assists and added a pair of steals and blocks. Gray did have 10 turnovers, an indication of a lack of familiarity with the new members of Team Gray. Still, Gray had many more positive plays than negative ones, earning a game-high 479 points to pad her total at the top of the leaderboard; she also received MVP 2 honors for her all-round effort.
Team Bell over Team Sims, 93-79
Kelsey Mitchell and Kierstan Bell again were behind a second-straight victory for Team Bell, 93-79. Their prowess from beyond the arc, in particular, helped Team Bell sprint away from Team Sims after the first quarter. Bell, who would earn MVP 1 honors, hit six triples on her way to a game-high 24 points, while Mitchell, MVP 2 of the game, drained four treys and finished with 23 points. Sydney Colson deserves credit for setting up Team Bell’s shooting and scoring, as she had 12 assists. Colson, who was named MVP 3, also got in on the 3-point bombing, making three 3s.
For Team Sims, Odyssey Sims finished with a triple-double of 23 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, but, outside of 19 points from Air Hearn, the captain did not receive much help from the rest of her roster.
Team Gray over Team Cloud, 92-88
A late 7-0 spurt from Team Gray secured the four-point win, 92-88, over Team Cloud in this back-and-fourth affair. While Gray earned MVP 1 recognition, her squad received strong supporting efforts from MVP 2 Maddy Siegrist and MVP 3 Grace Berger. Siegrist scored a game-high 24 points and grabbed 13 boards. From off the bench, Berger stuffed the stat sheet with 16 points, six boards and six assists. A 16-point and 14-rebound double-double from Adut Bulgak also buoyed Team Gray. Most importantly, Bulgak hit the go-ahead layup before Siegrist sealed the game from the free throw line. Gray, of course, also further cushioned her spot at the top of the AU leaderboard.
Tiffany Mitchell turned in another stellar effort for Team Cloud, with a game-high 25 points and eight boards. Natasha Cloud nearly notched a triple-double as she finished with 14 points, 12 assists and seven boards.
Team Bell over Team Cloud, 111-90
Yet again, the tandem of Kelsey Mitchell and Kierstan Bell delivered Team Bell to the 111-90 victory, as well as to a 3-0 week. The pair remained on fire from behind the arc, with both draining five 3-pointers. Mitchell, named MVP 1, finished with 33 points, her AU career high. MVP 2 Bell had 21 points. As Mitchell and Bell were bombing away, Emily Engstler was battling on the boards, grabbing an AU single-game record 19 rebounds. For the week, she had an AU-record 52 boards.
For Team Cloud, Tiffany Mitchell did her best to keep pace with the scoring exploits of Team Bell, finishing off a strong week with 32 points. Haley Jones ended her first AU season with her most productive outing, notching a double-double of 21 points and 11 boards.
Team Sims over Team Gray, 103-75
In the season’s final game, Team Sims summoned an extra level of energy, racing out to an advantage midway through the first quarter before cruising to the 103-75 win over Team Gray. Odyssey Sims secured her second spot on the leaderboard with a superb performance, scoring 31 points and tossing eight assists. Air Hearn again operated as Sims’ sidekick, contributing 21 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Sims was the game’s MVP 1, with Hearn receiving MVP 2.
It was not the ideal season-ending performance for Team Gray. Allisha Gray, however, again did her thing, scoring a team-high 19 points on solid efficiency to earn MVP 3. However, outside of Gray and Taj Cole, who added 17 points, the ball was not falling in the basket for Team Gray.
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