Last Year: 30-5; 17-3, Western Athletic Conference regular season and tournament champions, lost in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament
Head Coach: Bryce Drew (Fifth Year; 94-32 at GCU, with three NCAA Tournament appearances)
Projected Starting Lineup
PG Ray Harrison – 6’4″, 190 Senior
G Collin Moore – 6’4″, 210 Senior
W Tyon Grant-Foster – 6’7″, 220 Senior
F JaKobe Coles – 6’8″, 230 Senior
C Duke Brennan – 6’10”, 250 Junior
Experienced Reserves
G Makaih Williams – 6’2″, 185 Sophomore
F Traviar Jackson – 6’6″, 210 Senior
F Lök Wur – 6’9″, 215 Senior
C Dennis Evans – 7’1″, 215 RS Freshman
Freshmen
G Styles Phipps – 6’2″, 190
F Sammie Yeaney – 6’8″, 240 / Consensus Top 100 recruit
C Austin Maurer – 7’0″, 225
Achtung! The Antelopes!
Grand Canyon University is no prey animal this year. All of a sudden, the upstart Lopes are no longer a novelty act that’s made a couple of NCAA Tournament appearances: they’re a burgeoning powerhouse.
GCU first appeared on the Division I map under former NBA star Dan Majerle, who led the Lopes to four straight seasons of 20+ wins a few years back. That was all fun and good, but things have gotten better lately.
In the four years since Bryce Drew took over as the head coach in Phoenix, GCU has won the Western Athletic Conference three times and made three appearances at the Big Dance. This March, they won a game, too, knocking off #5 seed Saint Mary’s and announcing to the nation that they mean business.
Enjoying the full benefits of their unique status among all Division I programs, GCU has laid out a bountiful table of NIL offers to talented players, and now the Lopes are ready to feast like never before. They should have some proven nobility at the head of their table, too.
Coming out of junior college four years ago, Tyon Grant-Foster was such a talent that he was brought aboard by Bill Self at Kansas. Two years later, after fighting for a role and then enduring a serious health scare, Grant-Foster’s talent remained, and he longed for the opportunity to show it off. Last year, it all paid off, and Grant-Foster absolutely put on a show. He led the league in scoring, became a monster defensively, and captained the Lopes to the first NCAA Tournament victory in program history.
Now, the WAC’s reigning Player of the Year and tournament MVP is back after testing the NBA Draft waters, and he’s ready to achieve even more. His eligibility to begin the year was a question mark as fall approached, but Grant-Foster will return as one of the game’s dominant forces.
“Tyon’s status for the first few weeks of the season is undetermined relating to his departure from campus following last season to explore NBA draft opportunities,” Drew explained in early August. “GCU is pursuing a waiver process.”
Grant-Foster is a superfreak with pro-level athleticism, and the fact that he can do a little bit of everything on the floor sets him apart from most stars. Following heart surgeries which preceded his arrival at GCU, Grant-Foster’s breakout last year was a personal triumph in many ways, and he offers leadership qualities as well as his fantastic statistical production. He can score from anywhere. Grant-Foster attempted at least 110 shots from all three scoring levels last year, and added 282 trips to the foul line – the sixth-most in America. The scariest thing is that he tends to score in bunches, too. He went for at least 25 points 11 times last year, and Grant-Foster put up 51 points combined against the Gaels and then Final Four participant Alabama in the NCAA Tournament. If he’s got more to put on display this year, GCU may have an even more special season upcoming.
Before Grant-Foster burst onto the scene, Ray Harrison had taken a turn as the star in Phoenix, and he’s a high-level player in his own right. His ascent to a place as the team’s primary point guard is complete, and Harrisonn has always been a scoring guard, too. His efficiency took a hit last year, as well as his usage, but Harrison’s playmaking was undimmed. He’s a confident playmaker who varies the pace, moves defenders around with fakes and his handle, and then attacks the weaknesses he exposes. Harrison is terrific off the bounce, and can get all manner of looks in the halfcourt. He has struggled to find consistency with the deep ball, though, and is just a 29.4% career shooter from three-point territory. He much prefers to shoot off the bounce, and has put in tireless work this summer canning triples in all sorts of situations. Now it just needs to translate live. A great complement to Grant-Foster, Harrison can penetrate the defense off of one wing yet retain the vision to find guys coming open all over the floor. With four years of experience and a full understanding of Drew’s offense, Harrison should be at his best this winter.
The Lopes may boast one of America’s most versatile frontcourts, too. They’ve got some of everything, but with the graduation of Gabe McGlothan, there is no clear-cut star. Watching how the group comes together is going to be one of Drew’s main interests this fall, and they should provide the Havocs with plenty of entertainment.
The guy who’s come closest to being a star already is incoming TCU transfer JaKobe Coles. In each of his three years with the Horned Frogs, Coles improved, culminating in his best season last winter. Still, he’s never been a full-time starter and Coles wants to show off all that he can do. Judging by the efficiency he showed last year, Coles may be primed to become the main attraction for GCU up front. A multi-talented perimeter forward, Coles has the smooth jumper to wreck a defense’s plans and pull his opponents outside. Last year, he hit a career-high 27 triples at a 42.2% rate. Coles can operate closer to the basket as well, using quick bursts of power and nimble feet to create chances near the rim, which he has converted at a 65.7% mark the past two seasons, per Bart Torvik. Those are some of the same qualities that McGlothan brought to the table, and if Coles can bring the noise defensively on a consistent basis too, he should fill in very nicely as the top frontcourt option for the Lopes.
A multi-talented perimeter forward, Coles has the smooth jumper to wreck a defense’s plans and pull his opponents outside.
In his first campaign as a starter, Duke Brennan showed that he’s already a stout presence in the middle. The former Arizona State transfer was active on the boards and happy to slam home a good feed, but he did the overwhelming majority of his work right near the rim. This year, the Lopes are hoping to see more of his game. As far as foundations go, Brennan has built a solid one. He’s a solid, improving rim protector, and was an effective defender last year when not in foul trouble. He fouled out of a half dozen games, and for Brennan to reach his potential, he will need to stay on the court. A very productive offensive rebounder, Brennan ranked fourth in the WAC by earning 95 extra possessions. He converted 42 of those chances into putback tries, and Brennan will continue cashing in on effort buckets while the rest of his repertoire comes together.
Former Oregon transfer Lök Wur can be a real pain defensively, and caused all sorts of mayhem alongside Grant-Foster last year. Filling the wing forward spots, Wur and Grant-Foster give the Lopes incredible length and shot blocking ability, and Wur can operate inside, as well. Though he doesn’t have the smoothest handle and can be very streaky shooting from anywhere on the floor, Wur has unteachable skills at size which make him a great matchup option. Late last season things began coming together. Wur averaged 10.0 points and 1.9 blocks on 42.0% shooting from the land of trey over GCU’s final 14 games, and he was named to the WAC’s All-Tournament team. He’s a 3-and-D forward who can send back the shots of even the biggest players, and if the light stays on for Wur offensively, GCU’s rotation will have incredible versatility.
If Grant-Foster and Wur are long and disruptive, then this year’s Louisville -> GCU transfer up front is pretty much a praying mantis in human form. Last spring, Drew added wide-bodied former Cardinal Sydney Curry, but this time around he has raided the Ville to bring in 7’1″ sophomore Dennis Evans. A star recruit just last fall, Evans played only a handful of games for the Cardinals before sitting the remainder of the year. The reason was described as a shoulder injury at the time, but then came news that Louisville would no longer medically clear Evans to play. As a result, the youngster hopped into the transfer portal, and has ended up at a program which saw big success after allowing Grant-Foster to suit up despite similar health concerns. Evans hardly scratched the surface of what his talent hints with the Cardinals, and if he can play significant, impact minutes this year, the Lopes may simply engulf anyone who tries to get a shot off inside the halfcourt.
| Five Stats Which Tell The Tale (with national ranks) |
| +11.0 – Average Score Margin (16th) |
| 18.1 – Personal Fouls Per Game (277th) |
| 5.3 – Blocks Per Game (11th) |
| 12.4 – Turnovers Per Game (241st) |
| 19.7 – Free Throws Made Per Game (2nd) |
GCU has also added Traivar Jackson as an inter-conference transfer from Tarleton State. A product of Anchorage, AK, Jackson made the jump from junior college last season and became a key reserve for the Texans. He will add – you guessed it – more shot blocking and versatility to the Lopes’ perimeter defense, and his ability to play as a rim-protecting 4-man alongside bigger guys will be an advantage.
The top minutes between Harrison and Grant-Foster were played by a newcomer who quickly proved to be a real peat to the rest of the WAC. Collin Moore made his GCU debut last fall, and the former Georgia State scorer started every game as Drew led the team to 30 victories. An abrasive defender who generates lots of steals, Moore led the WAC with 64 thefts in his debut. At his best, Moore can make plays at both ends of the floor and in transition. He’s yet another shot blocker to be aware of, and Moore has the awareness to leave his guy and help or take advantage of seemingly any mistake the other team makes. A year ago, he largely earned his keep by locking up quality scorers, but this season Moore will be out to prove that he is an impact two-way player. His rate on triples fell from 35.7% two years ago to 29.5% last year, and Drew will need Moore to help space the floor if he wants to play 25+ minutes again. He’s a fearless driver, and if Moore’s jumper can keep the other guys honest, he should again be a valuable part of GCU’s success.
The youngster who may be pushing Moore for playing time is Makaih Williams, who is more of a point guard, but the reigning WAC Rookie of the Year will be hard to keep off the floor. As if all the conference hardware GCU took home last year was nor enough, Drew landed Williams from UT-Arlington, where he proved a talented co-facilitator running alongside now-VCU point guard Phillip Russell. Williams has some size, some length, and plenty of wiggle, and he shot it well from all over the court as a freshman. It’s going to be tough to maintain the 45.3% rate he shot on 43 made triples last year, but if Williams can provide steady production and efficient playmaking, his path to minutes will appear quickly.
| Five Out-of-Conference Games to Keep an Eye on |
| vs Saint Louis – December 22 |
| N Georgia – December 14 |
| N Arizona State – November 14 |
| @ Louisiana Tech – December 16 |
| vs Western Kentucky – November 9 |
GCU is bringing in three new freshmen as well, and two of them are Arizona products who are growing Drew’s reputation in luring home-state prospects. A ripple effect from Caleb Love’s decision to stay with Arizona, Top 100 forward Sammie Yeaney has chosen to play for the Lopes. A stout, strong youngster who can operate as an undersized 5 man, Yeaney has the attitude and physicality that coaches look for from their young big guys. He pounds the boards, establishes good position and doesn’t give ground defensively, and Yeaney goes hard around the rim for dunks and blocked shots. He’s physically ready to play immediately, and Yeaney is also plenty aware of what his opponents want to do inside, so he should pick up concepts and tendencies quickly. Styles Phipps and Austin Maurer might not make as big an impact as Yeaney right away, but both of them have multifaceted skillsets which Drew and his staff are looking forward to developing.
The powers that be at GCU is having to get creative with their schedule these days. Increasingly, big-time teams don’t want to play the Lopes. The power conferences have learned that Grand Canyon is dangerous. Even so, the Lopes will good team’s before WAC play begins, and their experiences in those tilts will be important come March. The biggest reason that GCU is being talked about as having Top 25 potential this year is that they’ve proven themselves as winners, and the expectation is not to compete but to beat the best teams on their schedule.
Of course, with each win, the target upon the Lopes’ back grows larger, and they will be seeing the best each opponent has to give all year long. That’s a hurdle, but its not an experience unique to Grand Canyon. There are a bunch of power conference programs that have deep coffers but can’t establish themselves the way GCU has, and increasingly, that’s turning into legitimate confidence. The guys who have come to Phoenix lately have brought home personal hardware, increased their NBA Draft stock, and won championships. That should continue this year, as Grand Canyon chases its latest best season ever.
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