ATHLETE OF THE WEEK : Granada Hills’ Gray Finds Final Goal Within Reach

Gary Gray of Granada Hills set five goals for himself before the season began. He has accomplished four. On Friday, he took the first step toward his fifth when he scored 36 points and had a season-high 26 rebounds in Granada Hills’ 93-77 win over Roosevelt in the first round of the City 3-A playoffs.

“This is my last year and it’s time to win the City championship,” said Gray, an All-City selection last season. “That’s my only other goal.”

His first four were to reach self-designated standards in scoring (25), rebounding (15), shooting percentage (65%) and free-throw percentage (80%). Through 21 games, Gray is averaging 27 points and 15 rebounds. He shot 74% during Northwest Valley League play and has made 85% of his free throws.

At 6-9 and 230 pounds, Gray usually enjoys a considerable size advantage over opponents. But that has not caused him to abandon his blue-collar work ethic around the basket.

“You can be a lot taller and still not get rebounds because of poor position and not being aggressive,” Granada Hills Coach Bob Johnson said. “Gary really works for them.”