Normally when Ben Gregg is in Portland he’s staying with his family to visit them.

However, this time around, he was in a hotel as he began the pre-NBA Draft process.

The former Columbia Christian and Clackamas High School star was in Tualatin on Tuesday, June 3 doing a workout for his favorite NBA team as a kid, the Portland Trail Blazers.

Gregg along with five others in Cameron Hildreth (Wake Forest), Jamiya Hall (Arizona State/Creighton), Mohamed Diawara (France), Caleb Grill (Missouri) and Damari Monsanto (UTSA) were all looking to impress on the Blazers why they should be drafted or at least considered for a G League spot.

For Gregg though, working out inside the Blazers practice facility meant a little more.

“Definitely surreal, growing up going to all these Blazers games and being a big fan,” Gregg said. “Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge, all the older guys that people might have forgot about, I was a big fan of. So it was very surreal for me, been trying to make the most of it.”

Gregg started his high school career at the small Columbia Christian School in Northeast Portland where he helped the Knights win the 2018 2A state championship as a freshman and helped them take second as sophomore in 2019.

Gregg moved to Clackamas for his junior year and the Cavaliers had advanced to the state tournament before it was shut down due to COVID-19. He was later named the Gatorade Player of the Year in Oregon for the season.

Gregg reclassified after the 2019-2020 season and joined Gonzaga early to get his college career started. He’s spent the last five years in Spokane and became a full-time part of the rotation in the 2022-2023 season, helping the Bulldogs continue their success as one of the best mid-major programs in the country.

From the halls of Columbia Christian to flying around NBA cities, it’s not a moment Gregg takes lightly.

“I definitely had dreams of it, but I didn’t know how realistic those dreams were,” Gregg said. “For me to be living it now is unbelievable. I kind of got to pinch myself sometimes, being able to see all these facilities and workout for all these legends. Chauncey Billups is here, Brian Grant, a lot of legends in the building so it’s kind of cool to be able to play in front of them.”

Gregg will have some work to do in the pre-draft process as his fifth year at Gonzaga didn’t exactly go the way he wanted it to.

The 6-foot-10 forward admitted it was down year for him shooting the ball, shooting 27.1% from 3-point range along with a 57.1% mark from the field and 79.1% from the line. Gregg also added 4.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game along with 9.1 points a night.

“My numbers, I struggled last year, my 3-point numbers were a little down last year,” Gregg said on what he’s trying to show to scouts. “Just wanted to prove I can still shoot the ball, just kind of an off year for me, and I did a good job of that today.”

The workout in Portland was Gregg’s fifth in the whole process and said he’s working out for Boston on Wednesday, who notably has Sixth Man of the Year Payton Pritchard and former West Linn High School star on its roster.

It’s another one of many possibilities for the former Clackamas star as he hopes to make the jump to the next level behind his all-around game in his big-man body.

“My ability to stretch the floor as a big man, that’s been a strength of mine throughout these workouts,” Gregg said. “Obviously on defense I need to improve, that’s been my biggest feedback in recruitment that I’ve had. Being able to guard quicker guys, guys at this level are so fast and athletic.”

The NBA Draft is set for June 25-26 in Brooklyn where Gregg hopes to possibly hear his name announced.

The Blazers currently only have the No. 11 overall pick, so a selection of Gregg seems to be out of the cards for now. Gregg likely just wants a shot with any team.

But it would make for another surreal moment, and this time Gregg would be able to sleep in his own bed.

“It would be a dream come true,” Gregg said of the possibility of playing for Portland. “Going to all the games as a kid, going to the Moda Center all the time, it would be more than a dream come true.

“If I was able to play here, it would be a crazy life I’d get to live.”