The GCS Basketball Program provides a means to teach how a Christian should compete on the court as well as function in other aspects of life. GCS athletes must participate in such a way that honors their team, our school and the Lord.
Grace Christian is committed to developing a perspective on winning and losing that consistent with the teachings of the scripture. We expect our athletes to dedicate themselves to this goal. Our challenge is to be in contrast to a sports world that emphasizes winning at any cost. Winning should be one of our goals, but we recognize that sports presents a beneficial learning experience, regardless of the outcome.
The mission of Grace Christian Athletics is to provide an excellent sports program that will help our students develop their God-given abilities. We want our student-athletes to honor and glorify God in all that they do (I Corinthians 10:31). Athletics is something that God allows us to do, not something that defines us. We need to make God first place in our lives (Matthew 6:33).
GCS is a 3A Independent school in the North Carolina Independent School Athletic Association (NCISAA).
The Middle School Basketball teams are available to students grades 6 through 8. This foundational stage of development is the most important level of learning for our Basketball program, and includes:
Middle School Basketball gives us an opportunity to introduce and teach the fundamental aspects of the sport including but not limited to: dribbling, passing, shooting, footwork, and defensive positioning.
In order to give more students the opportunity to grow and compete in athletics, Grace offers a second development team for Boys Middle School Basketball. Our Gold team is heavily focused on fundamental skills. They have an approximate 50% reduced game schedule in order to invest more time in practice and training.
Practice or games run at least 4x a week for Green Middle School Basketball teams, and at least 3x a week for the Gold team. Wednesday is normally the off day, but they may practice on Saturdays due to limited court time during the season.
The JV Basketball team is available to students grades 7 through 11 for athletes who have mastered the fundamentals taught in the middle school program. Fundamental skills are refined with an increased intensity for excellence, competition, and complexity of Basketball game strategies.
GCS Junior Varsity Basketball athletes must be prepared to compete for playing time. Our goal is to prepare our athletes for the demands of the Varsity Basketball program, training them to be ready to contribute immediately. Decisions related to playing time are made solely at the coach’s discretion.
Junior Varsity Basketball teams practice/or play at least 4x a week.
The privilege to wear the GCS Varsity Basketball uniform is reserved for our top athletes, grades 7 through 12, who have mastered the demands of the Middle School or JV program, and demonstrate a consistent display of the core Christlike characters traits of our athletic program: Diligence, Endurance, Boldness, Obedience, Faith, Humility, and Dependability.
Varsity Basketball players must be prepared to compete for playing time and work to keep it. Seniority of a player is not a factor. Our Varsity Basketball players are judged on athletic ability, work ethic, attitude, and knowledge of the coach’s strategies.
Competing to win is strongly emphasized, without sacrificing the display and the development of Christ-like character. GCS Varsity Basketball athletes are expected to act accordingly to their roles on the team, and contribute unselfishly in accordance with their abilities. Playing time will be determined solely by the coach/coaches. Coaches will not discuss playing time or strategy.
Varsity Basketball teams practice/or play at least 5x a week with possible Saturday practices and games.
The GCS Basketball Program runs during our Winter competition season, with tryouts and practices beginning in late October. If you’d like more information about the GCS Basketball Program, or to register for tryouts, please contact our Athletic Director.
GCS hosts a Basketball Camp each summer for 1st through 8th grade.
Coach Wilson’s Crusader Basketball Camp is dedicated to teaching the fundamentals of basketball to boys and girls in a safe and enjoyable environment. We work each day to help better players’ skillset on the court as well as building confidence off the court. This camp strengthens the athletes mentality while boosting their confidence to become a more skilled player. We teach this through daily devotions, stations, drills, games, and competitions designed for kids of all skill levels.
Practices and home games are held in our newly renovated Torgerson Gym on the GCS campus. The gym features a full court plus four additional practice baskets, boys and girls locker rooms and a weight training room.
Players from each team are selected for the following annual awards:
We are extremely proud our our GCS Alumni who have gone on to play college basketball:
Landon Wester, ℅ 2023: Fayetteville Tech Community College
Darius Hodges, ℅ 2023: Connecticut College
Jesse Mitchell, ℅ 2022: Averett University
Allan Taylor, ℅ 2020: St. Andrew University
Jonah Murr, ℅ 2020: Sandhills Community College & Calvary University
Phillip Martin, ℅ 2020: Piedmont College
Nathan Yow, ℅ 2019: Sandhills Community College & Campbell University
Julian Steinfeld, ℅ 2019: University of Indianapolis
Anna Murr, ℅ 2014: Truett McConnell University
Paul Guede, ℅ 2006: Valparaiso University
Doug Stewart, ℅ 2003: Liberty University
Brad McDougald, ℅ 1997: University of Mount Olive
