The 2024-25 GCU men’s basketball team is set for one last push for a WAC championship behind a mix of veteran leadership and promising young talent. (Photo by Dylan Wickman/Cronkite News)
PHOENIX – Maybe not older, but wiser.
That might be the best way to describe Grand Canyon’s men’s basketball team. Half the roster is made up of underclassmen, but there also is a wealth of experience as the Lopes chase a fourth – and final – Western Athletic Conference basketball championship.
GCU has four true freshmen on the roster this season, including the program’s first top-100 signee in forward Sammie Yeanay, who comes to the Lopes as ESPN’s highest-ranked player in the top 100 to choose to play outside a Power 6 basketball conference.
Still, the Lopes will rely on leadership from their six veterans to get the job done.
“I feel like the culture is different. The vibes are different,” said senior guard Ray Harrison. “This is probably the most mature group that we’ve had, even though we do have some younger guys and some true incoming high schoolers. But as far as talent, I feel it’s there.”
Last season, the Lopes won the WAC tournament championship and won the first NCAA tournament game in program history before falling to Alabama in the NCAA’s second round.
It was Canyon’s third NCAA appearance in four seasons and with the program’s upcoming move to the West Coast Conference in July 2025, GCU wants nothing more than to add another trip to the Big Dance and take home one last WAC Championship trophy.
To reach that postseason goal, the Lopes coaching staff spent the offseason recruiting new talent and the players put in the work in the weight room to get stronger for the season, which opens Oct. 29 with an exhibition game against Eastern New Mexico.
“If you don’t have good summers, it’s really hard to have good seasons,” said GCU coach Bryce Drew, adding that GCU’s strength and conditioning staff has done a good job of preparing the Lopes individually for the upcoming season – while avoiding injuries.
There is immense talent to go along with the improved strength, and nobody embodies that more than Harrison. His skills are undeniable, as he has not averaged less than 13.5 points per game in any of his four career seasons and enters the 2024-25 season with 1,991 career points.
But Harrison and the rest of GCU’s veterans recognize the team’s young talent, especially Yeanay.
“I’ve seen a lot of growth out of Sammie. I mean, he’s a true freshman,” senior forward Tyon Grant-Foster said. “I feel like we could get a lot out of him. He’s really good offensively; he’s really talented.”
Like any freshman, the transition from playing in high school to college will be challenging. Drew calls Yeanay an instinctive player, especially in live-action scenarios, but the coaching staff is working with him on adapting to GCU’s gameplay.
Drew said that the GCU staff has seen a jump in Yeanay’s ability to pick up plays and focus on defensive positioning.
GCU men’s basketball coach Bryce Drew emphasizes the importance of talent and conditioning as the Lopes gear up for their final WAC season. (Photo by Dylan Wickman/Cronkite News)
“And when he can add all that to his great instincts and great ability, then he’s going to be the special player we’re all wanting him to be,” Drew said.
The promising newcomers will depend on guidance from upperclassmen such as Harrison and Grant-Foster, who was invited to the 2024 NBA Draft combine before he withdrew and announced his return to GCU on June 4.
He said the combine experience made him realize the importance of summer training, and he is embracing his role as a leader after returning to GCU.
“It’s a great experience,” Grant-Foster said on being a mentor. “I’m just glad that my teammates allow me to do it. I don’t really get any backlash from it. I’ll try to be respectful as possible when coaching them up and asking them things. So I feel like it’s been a real moment I could cherish.”
Grant-Foster also feels he has grown as a player and person under Drew’s coaching, especially after he survived a heart scare last season. He emphasized that a player cannot manage the mental aspect of playing basketball alone.
Utilizing advice and support from his family and coaches keeps him growing in the sport.
“I don’t have to score 20 points. I don’t have to be the man and shoot every shot,” Grant-Foster said. “(Drew) just wants me to come in and play the right way, and I feel like that’s a great thing. I feel like that’s something that I need to do better this year, just because I know all the eyes and everybody is going to be watching me.”
Along with Grant-Foster, junior forward Duke Brennan and Harrison will serve as mentors on and off the court. Brennan was one of two Lopes, along with senior guard Collin Moore, to start all 35 games last season and finished as the team’s second-best rebounder and top-10 in the WAC at 6.7 per game.
“Being here for two years, I can really put my feet into this program, help the younger dudes and feel more comfortable on the court, feel more comfortable with the coaching staff and bringing back all the dues from last year,” Brennan said. “We’re ready to go again.”
Like Grant-Foster, Harrison entered the 2023 NBA Draft before withdrawing and returning to GCU for the 2023-24 season. Since GCU became a Division I school, Harrison is ranked third in program history for assists with 261 and led the Lopes in free-throw percentage, converting on 83.5% of his shots.
Harrison and Grant-Foster want to remind the underclassmen of the improvements still needed as the season approaches.
“It’s a journey. It really is,” Harrison said. “You can’t really expect yourself to come in and dominate dudes who are older than you, stronger than you. We’ve experienced more, but you just have to take it day by day and accept the learning process.”
Realizing it is a journey to success will be crucial for Canyon, especially against the schedule the Lopes face this season. After finishing 30-5 overall and 17-3 in the WAC last year, the true freshman recruits and five transfers will require extra work to get up to speed.
The Lopes face an early-season test against Arizona State in their fourth game of the season in the Hall of Fame Series at Footprint Center on Nov. 17. The two teams haven’t played each other since the 2021-22 season when ASU won 67-62.
The Hall of Fame Series isn’t the only tournament-style play the Lopes have on the schedule this season. They’ll face Stanford in Palm Desert, California, for the Acrisure Holiday Classic Nov. 26 and Georgia in Atlanta, Georgia, for Holiday Hoopsgiving Dec. 24.
Drew says the team is ready for their last ride in the WAC but doesn’t want to use all its energy at the beginning of the season, instead focusing on their talent and abilities to get them to the WAC Championship and NCAA tournament once again.
“There’s a balance. We want them to get better, but we also don’t want to wear them out,” Drew said. “It’s a long season. Everyone wants to start out the season really well. We want to start really well, but we’re also more concerned about February, March and trying to be as fresh and as good as we can in those months.”
