NATCHEZ &045; It’s become almost a ritual. Rodney Gray comes to the Natchez High gym with a stick of gum in his mouth. Head Natchez head coach Mike Martin makes him take it out and wonders out loud why Gray can’t remember something so simple.

&uot;It’s an everyday thing,&uot; Gray said. &uot;Every day he tells me to get my gum out.&uot;

On Wednesday, Gray’s teammate Jeremy Houston committed the same foul, again prompting Martin to wonder what was so difficult about remembering to remove gum from one’s mouth before entering the gym.

Fortunately for the Bulldogs, it’s one of the few things Martin finds fault with in this pair.

The junior small forward and fellow junior power forward Houston are two of the reasons the team is looking to do big things next season. The duo’s play on the court this year is why they’re headlining the The Natchez Democrat 2005 All-Metro first team.

Though both are starting forwards for the Bulldogs, it’s easy to tell them apart. Houston’s trademark pumped-up frame and sweet jumper are easy to identify, as are Gray’s slashing moves to the basket and 100-watt smile. But both share a strong work ethic and more than a fair amount of basketball ability.

Gray averaged a team-high 12 points and 9.3 rebounds and was named to the All-Division 6-5A first team. He will play in the Alabama/Mississippi All-Star Game this summer, and Martin said he still thinks Houston could make the team as an alternate.

&uot;The first I heard was a Thursday morning,&uot; Gray said. &uot;Coach Martin called us all over and told me I had made the All-Star team. I was so excited. But I couldn’t do it without these fellows.&uot;

Houston averaged 11 points, 6.7 rebounds and three assists per game on his way to an All-Division nod.

For Houston, playing basketball goes back a long way.

&uot;I was 4 years old on Minor Street, playing with the older kids in the neighborhood,&uot; Houston said.

Things have changed a little since the Minor Street days. Houston has grown up, and he now checks in at 6-4 with a sturdy frame and a game that’s grown up as well.

&uot;I shoot from 15 feet well and from the baseline,&uot; Houston said. &uot;I rebound the ball well and play hard.&uot;

Houston said he is working on his play-making skills, dribbling and shooting from behind the arc. He’s also continuing to hit the weight room.

&uot;I work out a lot,&uot; Houston said. &uot;I like going in the weight room.&uot;

Gray is more of a slasher on offense, though he shares Houston’s proclivity to hit the boards hard. Gray said he needs to improve his shooting and dribbling.

&uot;In college, I’ll probably play shooting guard, maybe even some point guard,&uot; Gray said.

As for that college process, it’s just heating up for Gray. Mississippi State and several junior colleges have put out feelers, but it’s much too early to say where he might end up. And he may end up playing football anyway. Gray was a talented wide receiver for the Bulldogs.

&uot;I’d like to play both of them like (North Carolina star) Julius Peppers,&uot; Gray said. &uot;He played basketball and football, and I want to do that.&uot;

Houston and Gray played in the Top 40 game as sophomores against players like Lanier’s Monta Ellis and Provine’s Charlie White, widely regarded as two of the state’s best basketball players of the past several years. Houston had 16 points and Gray 14 in the game.

Dominique Myles, also an All-Metro first team selection, was the leader of a Ferriday team that lost in the opening round of the LHSAA playoffs to Red River. He was a District 4-2A first team selection.

The senior sharpshooter specialized in the 3-pointer, but he could do a little of everything for the Trojans. Most importantly, he provided leadership to a young team.

&uot;He really gave us senior leadership,&uot; Ferriday head coach James Davis said. &uot;We only had two seniors this year, so he helped there. He shot the ball well. He was the key to our outside game.&uot;

Adams Christian’s Dustin Case also earned a spot on the first-team All-Metro despite missing the opening of the season while recovering from a broken arm suffered during football.

&uot;We missed him the first two games of the season, but when he came back he had 15 points (per game) played a big role on defense,&uot; AC head coach Kyle Smith said. &uot;He was definitely a major part of our success this year.&uot;

Case averaged 15.1 points and six rebounds and was named to the District 3-AA First team.

&uot;He always wanted the basketball, he wanted to score,&uot; Smith said. &uot;He wanted to take the winning shot. But mostly he wanted to do whatever it took to win, whether that meant guarding a post player or feeding his teammates the ball.&uot;

Jasper O’Quinn, a first-team pick from Franklin County, was also the All-Metro Player of the Year for football and is joined on the basketball team by teammates Marcus Tillman, the All-Metro Player of the Year, and Jonathan Brooks, a second-team All-Metro pick.

But O’Quinn, the team’s primary ball handler at point guard, was the engine that made the Bulldogs run all the way to the Class 3A state championship game. O’Quinn was also named to the All-Division 7-3A Team.

Trinity’s Stevan Ridley also earned a spot on the first team by playing a key role in the Trinity Episcopal Saints’ run to a South State runner-up spot in their first season in Class AA.

He averaged 17.6 points per game, 12.28 rebounds and 2.94 steals per game while shooting 57.2 percent from the field on the way to leading the Saints to the state tournament.