Michelene Karadsheh attends Gilbert Christian High School and is a member of the AIA's student SID program.

In his first high school varsity season, 6’5 sophomore shooting guard/ small forward/ power forward Grant Woods is a starter for Gilbert Christian’s Men’s Basketball team and averages  9.8 points per game. 

Woods has been playing basketball for five years, and his favorite memory from his career is from his 8th-grade year, “when I crossed someone on the other team and hit a game-winner to go to the championship with my school team.” Grant has played club basketball for four years and currently plays for AZ Select in addition to the high school basketball team.

Being a great basketball player demands more than just the physical aspect, Woods says, “Building on your mistakes and watching film to improve your game and fix what you're doing wrong,” are the most important things that make a player better than the rest. Woods has shown lots of improvement since the beginning of the season, with every practice he tweaks his shot, works on preventing turnovers, and builds a strong defense. 

Grant says that he is constantly being pushed to be a better player by his parents and coaches, Jason Pasquariello and Kurt Keener;  and a piece of advice that he once received that has stuck with him is to “work hard and push yourself every time no matter the circumstances.” 

We look forward to seeing how much more Woods will accomplish this season as he sharpens his skills and grows within the sport. 

Here are some of Grant’s stats from this season: 

• GCHS vs Seton Catholic, 8 points and 7 rebounds 
• GCHS vs Holbrook, 14 points and 5 rebounds 
• GCHS vs ALA Ironwood, 19 points and 1 rebound 
• GCHS vs Fountain Hills, 16 points and 4 assists 
• GCHS vs Florence, 9 points and 4 rebounds 
• GCHS vs Canyon View, 9 points and 4 rebounds 
• GCHS vs Odyssey Institute, 13 points and 2 rebounds