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Ray Spalding walked into the players' lounge at the KFC Yum Center last week and eased his 6-foot-10, 215-pound frame onto a black sofa.

In sweatpants and tired after a practice, the Louisville native put off the vibe he always puts off, that he is laid-back, easygoing and respectfully soft-spoken. He's not necessarily shy; Spalding is considered one of the team's leading comedians and pranksters. He's just reserved and calm and always ready with a "yes, sir" or "no, sir."

Yet there was an excitement in his voice when he looked at the walls. Framed NBA jerseys of former Louisville players wrap around the room. There's a Donovan Mitchell Utah Jazz jersey, a Terry Rozier Boston Celtics jersey, even a Mangok Mathiang Charlotte Hornets jersey.

As he studied the jerseys, the Trinity High School grad, who grew up in the West End of Louisville, was reminded of his answer to a question in the Cards' media guide. Asked about his personal goal in college, Spalding wrote that it was to "be remembered by everyone."

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"When I wrote that, I was thinking about all these names, all these jerseys hung up here," Spalding said. "This is the dream."

While Spalding was never shy about his goal of reaching the NBA, he was shy about consistently asserting himself on the basketball court. Not as much anymore. The power forward, with his mom and grandmother's names tattooed on his arm, has stepped into the spotlight at Louisville, and the people who've coached him along the way see Spalding morphing into the player they thought he could be.

"From what this kid has done in a short period of time, from where he’s come, is truly remarkable," said David Levitch, Spalding's longtime travel coach whose son, also named David, played at Louisville.

'Like a giraffe'

Spalding was lanky from the start. He grew up playing sports in Louisville's recreational centers — "soccer, kickball, basketball, you name it," said his dad, Raymond Brooks — and he was often with his much shorter pal, Dwayne Sutton.

Sutton was usually the team's point guard and always the smallest player on the team. Spalding was usually the tallest or second-tallest kid, and he played power forward or center.

Spalding loved Louisville and Syracuse, and he liked to pretend he was Earl Clark while wearing the Cards' No. 5 jersey his grandmother got him.

Toward the end of elementary school, Sutton and his dad brought Spalding to his AAU team's practice at a small gym off La Grange Road. That's where Spalding, wearing a Tracy McGrady jersey, first met Jax Levitch, David's youngest son who is now playing college ball at Fort Wayne.

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The youngest Levitch laughed as he recalled the first time he saw a "super skinny" Spalding play basketball.

"He was probably one of the worst basketball players I’d seen at that point," Jax Levitch said.

"Dwayne’s dad said, 'I’ve got this tall kid, he’s like a giraffe,'" David Levitch said. "When he got to the gym, I could see what he was talking about. He could hardly dribble. But one thing led to another, and look what we have now."

Two or three years later, when Spalding was a 6-foot-2 seventh grader at Conway Middle School, he dunked for the first time.

By the time he arrived at Trinity High for ninth grade, Spalding was unlike any player Trinity coach Mike Szabo said he had seen before in terms of athleticism and size. But he was still raw as a basketball player.

"I used to tell him, 'You’re sitting on a winning lottery ticket. You just have to do what it takes to go cash it in,'" Szabo said.

The way Spalding remembers it, he shot up to about 6-foot-8 around that time.

His dad cites a specific game — Trinity's win over Quentin Snider's Ballard in the 2013 Louisville Invitational Tournament final, when Spalding was a sophomore — as the turning point in his son's basketball career. Forced into a starting role for his powerhouse team, Spalding showed his natural athleticism and a soft touch and better feel for the game.

"It was just like, 'Oh, my god, if this guy could do this all the time, he’ll be great,'" his dad said.

David Levitch remembered colleges going from interested to gotta-have-him after Spalding scored 34 points in a travel tournament before his senior year of high school.

"He shot 3s; he did everything," Levitch said. "Duke started calling. Indiana was all over him. It just exploded. That’s when I knew this kid had the next-level talent."

Spalding signed with Louisville for many reasons, but at the top was a desire to play in his hometown and be near his family. He is particularly close with his mother, Gerri, who could not be reached for this story.

His mom, Spalding said, worked long hours as a nurse, and still does, providing for four kids. Ray is the second-oldest, with two younger brothers and an older sister.

But his mom, no matter how tired she was after work, was "always positive and never down about anything," Spalding said.

"Her work ethic," he said, "is amazing."

'Anxious to get there'

Former Louisville coach Rick Pitino saw shades of Clark in Spalding. He flattered Spalding with public comments comparing the two.

Yet there has long been a lingering feeling that no matter how productive Spalding is, for some reason, whether it's his athleticism, his fluidity, his long arms or his height, it always feels like he could do more. Even after posting 21 points and 16 rebounds, both career-highs, in a win over Grand Canyon on Saturday, it felt like Spalding was capable of playing on another level.

It can be a burden — Spalding cited comments on social media saying he should be further along in his development — and it can be a motivation.

After an up-and-down freshman year and an improved sophomore campaign, Spalding tried to tap into what he gleaned from watching his mom. After seeing Mitchell, his former classmate, go from a tantalizing freshman talent to a first-round NBA draft pick after his sophomore year, Spalding resolved to work harder than ever over the offseason.

"He was going to put in everything he had to try to become the best player he could be," Szabo said. "I know he would certainly love to help his mom out."

Spalding is the midst of a breakout season. Twelve games in, with the much-anticipated rivalry game against Kentucky coming on Friday, Spalding averages 10.8 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.3 blocks, 1.8 steals and 1.3 assists per game. He also gets double-digit deflections in just about every game, according to interim Louisville coach David Padgett.

But there is still work to do ahead, Padgett said. Spalding is still trying to slow down his decision-making process when he has the ball, and he is also aiming to cut down on his fouls, particularly in first halves. His playing time has been limited in several games because of foul trouble.

"When he gets locked in on what he needs to do to help us win, it's impressive," Padgett said. "When he has that mindset to be the best player on the floor, he usually is. He's come a long way, but I think he would admit he has a long ways to go. He's anxious to get there."

Spalding visited the Levitches over Christmas weekend, then got in a workout with his old pal Jax. The contrast from elementary school Spalding to now, some 10 years later, is "worlds apart," David Levitch said.

"Every time I see him," Jax Levitch said, "he's better."

Back in the players' lounge at the Yum Center, Spalding talked about being remembered like a kid still dreaming in his Earl Clark jersey. He wants to be a pro. He wants his jersey framed and put on the wall there.

But he wants more, too. He wants to be remembered like the city greats before him, like Darrell Griffith. He talks about his family and his hometown and playing for both.

"I’d love to be a household name here," he said. "Someday."

Jeff Greer: 502-582-4044; jgreer@courierjournal.com; Twitter: @JeffGreer_CJ . Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: www.courier-journal.com/jeffg