A 6'4 guard, Steve Gray was named California Mr. Basketball as a senior at George Washington High School in San Francisco in 1959.

His freshman year, Gray averaged 11.9 points and 7.8 rebounds per game as he teamed with forward Tom Meschery to lead the Gaels to a 19–7 record.

As a junior, he averaged 20.3 points and 11.9 rebounds per game and shared WCAC player of the year honors with Pepperdine's Harry Dinnel.

As a senior, Gray set a school record by averaging 23.8 points per game and was again named conference player of the year.

During the 2007–08 season, Saint Mary's named their top 25 players all time as a part of the 100th anniversary of basketball at the school.