With 11 newcomers, most of those coming out of the portal, it's taking time for Grand Canyon's basketball team to come together as MW play heats up.
With 11 newcomers, most of those coming out of the transfer portal, it's taking time for Grand Canyon's men's basketball team to come together as Mountain West competition ramps up.
The Lopes (10-6 overall, 3-2 conference) are in the midst of their toughest four-game stretch in a conference much tougher than what they were used to in the Western Athletic Conference, where they won four tournament titles and automatic NCAA Tournament berths in the past five years.
GCU just returned from New Mexico (14-3, 5-1), where a tight game in the second half turned into a blowout loss on paper, 87-64.
On Jan. 17, in a 12:30 p.m. home game that is being nationally televised by FS1, they take on 23rd-ranked Utah State (15-1, 6-0), which just beat Nevada in conference play.
After this, the Lopes are home again on Jan. 21, to take on Mountain West co-leader San Diego State (12-4, 6-0), which suffered one of its losses to top-ranked Arizona.
After San Diego State, the Lopes travel to Reno to take on Nevada (12-5, 4-2) on Jan. 27.
GCU is going to have to start beating some of these better teams in the conference if they will have any chance at an at-large tournament berth.
The Lopes will need to maintain consistency, with all of the new players staying on the same page.
"It's a great growth period for us," coach Bryce Drew said.
Drew, during his sixth season in Phoenix, has more newcomers via the transfer portal than any of his previous GCU teams. Most are fifth-year seniors, aided by an extra year of eligibility due to the 2020 Covid pandemic that impacted NCAA games.
More college basketball teams now are filled with 22-to-24-year-olds who have made multiple college jumps. GCU leading scorer Jaden Henley played at Minnesota, DePaul and UNLV prior to joining the Lopes.
"Luckily, here at Grand Canyon, there are great people around me," Henley said. "Great coaching staff. And my teammates are amazing. And it helps that most of our team is from California."
Power forward Nana Owusu-Anane, who transferred from Brown after missing last season due to an injury, has not only had to adjust to all new teammates but not playing last season.
"I think defensively, we've taken a big step," he said. "On offense, we're doing a better job of trusting the coach's game plan and talking to each other. Once we're able to do that, everything will fall into place."
Guard Dusty Stromer has found he had to take on different roles from what was asked of him at Gonzaga, where he could set up beyond the arc and fire away.
"Just trusting my work, feeling more comfortable," Stromer said. "It's a big jump and change from where I was at the last two years. It's settling into a role. I feel more comfortable every game."
Drew is starting to see a new trend with more freshmen making an impact across the country, including in the Mountain West. GCU 7-footer Efe Demirel is one of those. He had to get used to a new culture, coming from Turkey.
"We're definitely looking to get some freshmen for next year, because we've been relying heavily on fifth-year guys the last couple of years," Drew said.
Richard Obert has been covering high school sports since the 1980s for The Arizona Republic. Catch the best high school sports coverage in the state. Sign up for Azcentral Preps Now. And be sure to subscribe to our daily sports newsletters so you don't miss a thing. To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert at [email protected] or 602-316-8827. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @azc_obert
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: GCU basketball tries to find continuity in portal age
Category: General Sports
