Casey Shaw - Men's Basketball Coach - Grand Canyon University Athletics

Casey Shaw

Title:
Assistant Coach
Years at GCU:
6th season
Email:
casey.shaw@gcu.edu
Alma Mater:
Toledo (1998)

Road to GCU
YEAR	SCHOOL	POSITION
1994-98	Toledo	Student-Athlete
1998-99	Philadelphia 76ers	Pro Player
1999-11	Italy / Spain	Pro Player
2003-10	Athletes in Action	Director / Coach
2016-19	Vanderbilt	Asst. Coach
2019-20	Davidson Academy (Tenn.)	Head Coach
2020-pres	GCU	Asst. Coach

Casey Shaw is in his sixth season as an assistant coach with the Grand Canyon men's basketball program for the 2025-26 season.

Shaw has been by head coach Bryce Drew's side since he took over as GCU's head coach in 2020-21. In that five-year span, the Lopes have made four NCAA Tournament appearances by winning the 2021, 2023, 2024 and 2025 WAC Tournaments.

The 2023-24 was the best in program history. The Lopes won an NCAA tournament game for the first time by defeating fifth-seeded Saint Mary's. GCU finished the season with a top-50 NET ranking and had the program's first WAC Player of the Year in Tyon Grant-Foster.

In his first season with the Lopes, Shaw helped lead GCU to its first WAC regular-season championship, first WAC tournament championship and first trip to the NCAA tournament. Shaw and the Lopes coaching staff inherited a 13-17 squad and went 17-7 in 2020-21.

The Lopes staff was charged with replacing GCU's two leading scorers heading into their second season. Behind the development of Jovan Blacksher Jr. and the addition of Holland Woods II, the Lopes posted a 23-8 mark in 2021-22. GCU's best win by metrics in its D-I program history came on Dec. 18 in the Colangelo Classic as GCU topped previously undefeated San Francisco.

In 2022-23, GCU made an improbable run through the 2023 WAC Tournament by winning four games in four days as the No. 5 seed to become the lowest seeded team to win the WAC Tournament since 2001. The Lopes made their second ever NCAA Tournament appearance and were paired up against Gonzaga.

GCU went dancing again in 2024-25, winning three straight WAC Tournament games to improve to 12-1 at the tournament in the Drew era.

Before GCU, Shaw had also coached alongside Drew for three years at Vanderbilt after a successful extended playing career. With a 6-foot-10 frame, Shaw helped develop Vandy's post players.

"I could not be more excited to be joining Coach Drew and the Lopes men's basketball program," Shaw said at the time of his hiring. "GCU offers an incredibly attractive opportunity for prospective student-athletes. From the degree variety to the student support and atmosphere — GCU is a basketball sleeping giant. And on top of that, I love the faith-based mission of the school, and I am thrilled to be able to jump on board with what the Lord is doing in and through GCU."

Shaw was a four-year standout at Toledo. He capped his career with an Academic All-America honor as a senior while ranking among the top five in program history in career blocked shots (107) and rebounds (871) and top 10 in scoring (1,562).

Shaw's name was called in the 1998 NBA Draft as a second-round selection of the Philadelphia 76ers. He spent his rookie season with the 76ers in 1998-99 before transitioning to a long-term pro career internationally. In sum, he played 13 seasons professionally spanning from the NBA to Italy to Spain.

"Coming from the SEC, Casey has recruited at a very high level, as he signed Vanderbilt's first ever McDonald's All-American and assisted on signing four other top-70 ranked players," Drew said. "Being a former professional player, Casey has a unique ability to relate to student-athletes while also specializing in the development of big men."

Casey has had the opportunity to coach all three of his sons at GCU: Isaiah (2021-24), Caleb (2023-pres) and Luke (2025-pres).