A 15-Year-Old Boy Is an Inspiration to Jayhawk Team

A 15-year-old boy with an inoperable brain tumor has become an inspiration to the players on the University of Kansas basketball team.

Ryan Gray, called by Coach Larry Brown the Jayhawks’ “lucky charm,” is the only non-team member allowed to ride the team bus, attend closed practice sessions and hear Brown discuss pregame strategy.

Ryan, a sandy-haired ninth-grader, was with the Jayhawks as they prepared to take on Duke Saturday in the semifinals of the National Collegiate Athletic Assn. Final Four championship. And he attended the game, a 66-59 Kansas victory.

The Jayhawks’ Danny Manning said Ryan’s presence means a lot to him.

“Just his being there, his smile, his courage, makes me feel good,” Manning said. “He’s so caring and gentle. He’s good for the whole team.”

Mike Armstrong, a team trainer, said Ryan has earned his title as the Jayhawks’ lucky charm. “We’re very superstitious about this,” Armstrong said. “We try to take him with us on the road because when he’s there, we win. He inspires everybody to do their best.”

Brown lives on the same street in Lawrence, Kan., as the Gray family. Brown introduced himself to Ryan soon after Kansas’ fifth-year coach arrived in Lawrence, and for the last four years, Ryan has been the Jayhawks’ special friend.

“Larry and the team, I believe, have given Ryan something that me or my husband couldn’t,” said Kitty Gray, Ryan’s mother. “You couldn’t buy this kind of medicine for Ryan. They are absolutely the best thing that ever happened to him.”

When Ryan was 14 months old, doctors discovered the reason for his constant crying, lack of appetite, eyes that could not focus and sharp pain.

The rare, untreatable brain tumor at the base of Ryan’s skull has affected his growth, speaking, hearing and coordination.

The Grays were told not to expect their son to live long enough to get to first grade.

“Ryan has learned to live with pain,” Kitty Gray said. “He has always been very accepting of his physical limitations without complaint. He has taught us a lot about living for today and not dreaming about this weekend or the future.”