It’s been nearly a decade since she’s stepped foot on this wind-swept campus, but Chelsea Gray can remember her time inside these brick-facade buildings with vivid clarity.

“It’s been a while since they last saw me, but I remember Principal (Debbie) Ruger. She was the principal when I was there,” said Gray, now a professional basketball player and one of Brock Elliott’s most accomplished alums.

“She was a welcoming person. I was shy, but I was able to go into her office and talk to her.”

Shy no longer, Gray, 22, will return to her alma mater and her hometown on Friday to speak with the AVID students and tutors.

The visit comes a day ahead of her inaugural Chelsea Gray Basketball Clinic at St. Mary’s High School in Stockton, a one-day event open to players (second through 12th grade) of all skill levels.

“It’s a chance to share my story with young kids. I was in the same position, aspiring to go to high school and continue with my studies,” said Gray, who has made Los Angeles her home base while rehabilitating a knee injury.

“I went to Brock Elliott, so this is my chance to speak to the kids in my hometown.”

The AVID program at Brock Elliott features about 90 students across three grade levels: sixth, seventh and eighth grade. The award-winning program is designed to provide students with college and career information.

There’s no better role model than Gray, Principal Ruger said.

Gray is the first Mantecan to be drafted into a women’s professional basketball league, and she joins a pantheon of pro athletes that includes Scott Brooks and Scott Speed among others.

“Chelsea was an excellent student and role model when she was here. She’s been very successful in her career,” Ruger said. “Our AVID program is excited to have her come and talk about the challenges as she’s moved from elementary school to high school to college and now to the pros.”

Though she’s excelled both in the classroom and on the court, winning state championships with St. Mary’s High School in Stockton and earning an athletic scholarship to Duke University, Gray has faced her fair share of adversity.

To be certain, she didn’t ascend the proverbial mountaintop without a few stumbles and falls along the way.

Gray was selected with the 11th overall pick by the Connecticut Sun in April’s WNBA draft, but sat out her entire rookie season while rehabbing a knee injury that cut short a sterling collegiate career at Duke.

Gray fractured her right kneecap in February 2013 and missed Duke’s run to a fourth straight Elite Eight appearance in the NCAA Tournament, according to the Herald-Sun. She was still named the Atlantic Coast Conference’s co-Player of the Year.

In January, she re-injured the knee, ending her senior season.

Despite missing large chunks of her final two seasons, Gray was coveted by the Sun staff.

“It’s hard to describe it in words,” Duke coach Joanne P. McCallie told the Herald-Sun following the draft. “For all that Chelsea has been through, for the Connecticut Sun to understand her value and how terrific she is, it is absolutely incredible.”

That appreciation is shared by those back home, too.

Ruger has been principal at Brock Elliott for 14 years. She counts Gray – a member of the Class of 2006 – as one of its most distinguished alums, not only for athletic accomplishments but her class and grace.

She was a true Champion, the school’s mascot.

Case in point: Gray never played a minute for the Brock Elliott girls basketball team (because of AAU commitments), but she attended most games to keep score and cheer on her teammates.

“She was a very confident and well-liked student was a really great role model for the other kids,” Ruger said. “It was honor to have her at the school.

“Chelsea is always welcomed here. It’s nothing but beneficial to the students to see someone who has worked so hard. I’d love to have a hundred Chelsea Grays at my school.”

Though she’ll have to settle for just one on Friday, Gray hopes to become a regular in Manteca and Stockton, especially during her off-seasons.

She plans to grow the Chelsea Gray Basketball Clinic into a multiple-day event and continue speaking engagements in both communities.

Her message on Friday at Brock Elliott will be the same that she delivers to the players that attend her basketball clinic.

“Hopefully, my passion shows through how excited I am for these kids,” she said. “I want to let them know that if they keep working hard and follow their dreams, anything is possible.”