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Rudy Carlton Gay, Jr. (born August 17, 1986 in Baltimore, Maryland) is an American professional basketball player who is currently playing for the Memphis Grizzlies. He played collegiately at the University of Connecticut before turning pro.
Gay was the second of five siblings and began playing competitive recreational basketball at 12 years old in the Turner Station community of Baltimore County, Maryland in one of the toughest youth basketball leagues in the area. Early exposure to Baltimore AAU basketball and summer league games in the Tom Jones Youth Summer League in Washington, D.C., showcased his abilities against top competition.
At the age of 14, Gay began playing for the nationally-known Cecil-Kirk AAU program under Coach Anthony Lewis with other blue-chip players such as Josh Boone (UConn), Paris Carter (N Mexico), and Chester Frazier (Illinois). During the spring of his 8th grade year, Gay and teammate Scott Dozier were highly sought after by several private schools. Gay attended Eastern Technical High School in Baltimore County, while Dozier enrolled at the St. Paul's School. Rudy transferred to Archbishop Spalding High School of the Baltimore Catholic League after his sophomore year at Eastern Tech.