Grand Canyon University Athletics
Coro: Lopes opening with optimism
11/10/2017 9:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro
Deep GCU men's basketball team starts season at home
Grand Canyon arguably has the best student section in college basketball. That is subjective.
Preseason polls of coaches and media consider GCU to be the best team in the Western Athletic Conference. That also is subjective.
But when the Lopes' season starts Friday night at home against Florida A&M, one superlative is undeniable: GCU has the longest active Division I men's basketball winning streak in the nation.
With fifth-year head coach Dan Majerle's deepest team yet coinciding with Division I postseason eligibility, GCU plans to follow last season's hot finish of seven consecutive wins with a hot start to this season.
"We're loaded," Lopes senior Keonta Vernon said. "We're going to have an unbelievable season. We just have to make sure we put in the work every day and we'll see how far it takes us."
The optimism comes from multiple areas – an experienced backcourt that features WAC Preseason Player of the Year Joshua Braun, a freshman class that added skilled big men, and the depth to present various looks for opponents.
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For starters
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The Lopes solidified a starting five that returns Braun as the team's top shooter, Vernon as the team's best rebounder and the dynamic transition play and defense of sophomore swingman Oscar Frayer.
GCU lost its point guard and top scorer, DeWayne Russell, but kept experience at the head of the offense with senior transfer Casey Benson. The Tempe Corona del Sol product played three years at Oregon, leading the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio as a sophomore and helping the Ducks to the Final Four last season before transferring to the program where his brother T.J. is an assistant coach.
Benson will be a different type of point guard than Russell, acting as more of a playmaker who pushes tempo with upcourt fastbreak passes. He can expand his scoring with reliable spot-up shooting and crafty drives capped by outstretched finishes.
"Not forcing, taking what the defense gives me, it's kind of how I approach every game," Benson said. "It helps when guys makes shots. It makes me look good."
"We've got a great group of guys. A lot of experience, a lot of young talent as well, a lot of skilled guys who just want to win at the end of the day. When you have that and guys just want to win, it can be anybody's night any given night."
Latvian 6-foot-10 freshman power forward Roberts Blumbergs will add some needed length to GCU's frontline, but his forte is offense. Blumbergs is a strong shooter with range and can handle the ball well, but he will have to adapt to the more physical, intense American playing style.
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Deep bench
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The Lopes' reserve rotation likely will be a fluid situation now that Majerle has options to create different looks, match up with other teams and create practice competition.
Italian big man Alessandro Lever, another 6-10 freshman, can help immediately with his size, rebounding and a feel for the game that makes him a good passer and shooter. Like Blumbergs, his international experience appears to have eliminated the typical freshman timid play.
Junior Gerard Martin stays in the mix after averaging 29.2 minutes last season and earning All-WAC defensive team honors.
From there, it could be situational with several returnees: senior guard Shaq Carr, sophomore guard Fiifi Aidoo and junior power forward Kerwin Smith and the return of junior Matt Jackson, a big man who missed last season because of injury and can help spread opposing defenses with his 3-point shot.
Another freshman, point guard Damari Milstead, also has made a case for playing time with his dogged defensive work and his ability to push tempo on offense.
"I've never had 11, 12 guys who actually could go out there and play and play well," Majerle said. "For me, it's going to be a challenge of who gets on the floor, who's playing well, the matchups and playing guys at different positions. As long as we stay healthy, we're going to be really, really deep."
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Home sweet home
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The Lopes play their first six games at GCU Arena, where season tickets sold out for the first time. They open against Florida A&M, whose new head coach, Robert McCullum, was an Oregon assistant last season with Benson's team. The Rattlers beat Johnson, 107-71, at home Monday with 58.8 percent shooting and 24 points from senior forward Desmond Williams.
"I'm always nervous for the first game to see how everybody performs when it's for real," Majerle said.
The Havocs students lined up for last week's exhibition game to create a raucous environment, so the start of GCU's Division I postseason eligibility era is more than enough to fire up another purple party.
"When they say it's the best party in college basketball, that's definitely an understatement," Vernon said.
Follow Paul Coro on Twitter: @paulcoro.
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Preseason polls of coaches and media consider GCU to be the best team in the Western Athletic Conference. That also is subjective.
But when the Lopes' season starts Friday night at home against Florida A&M, one superlative is undeniable: GCU has the longest active Division I men's basketball winning streak in the nation.
With fifth-year head coach Dan Majerle's deepest team yet coinciding with Division I postseason eligibility, GCU plans to follow last season's hot finish of seven consecutive wins with a hot start to this season.
"We're loaded," Lopes senior Keonta Vernon said. "We're going to have an unbelievable season. We just have to make sure we put in the work every day and we'll see how far it takes us."
The optimism comes from multiple areas – an experienced backcourt that features WAC Preseason Player of the Year Joshua Braun, a freshman class that added skilled big men, and the depth to present various looks for opponents.
Â
For starters
Â
The Lopes solidified a starting five that returns Braun as the team's top shooter, Vernon as the team's best rebounder and the dynamic transition play and defense of sophomore swingman Oscar Frayer.
GCU lost its point guard and top scorer, DeWayne Russell, but kept experience at the head of the offense with senior transfer Casey Benson. The Tempe Corona del Sol product played three years at Oregon, leading the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio as a sophomore and helping the Ducks to the Final Four last season before transferring to the program where his brother T.J. is an assistant coach.
Benson will be a different type of point guard than Russell, acting as more of a playmaker who pushes tempo with upcourt fastbreak passes. He can expand his scoring with reliable spot-up shooting and crafty drives capped by outstretched finishes.
"Not forcing, taking what the defense gives me, it's kind of how I approach every game," Benson said. "It helps when guys makes shots. It makes me look good."
"We've got a great group of guys. A lot of experience, a lot of young talent as well, a lot of skilled guys who just want to win at the end of the day. When you have that and guys just want to win, it can be anybody's night any given night."
Latvian 6-foot-10 freshman power forward Roberts Blumbergs will add some needed length to GCU's frontline, but his forte is offense. Blumbergs is a strong shooter with range and can handle the ball well, but he will have to adapt to the more physical, intense American playing style.
Â
Deep bench
Â
The Lopes' reserve rotation likely will be a fluid situation now that Majerle has options to create different looks, match up with other teams and create practice competition.
Italian big man Alessandro Lever, another 6-10 freshman, can help immediately with his size, rebounding and a feel for the game that makes him a good passer and shooter. Like Blumbergs, his international experience appears to have eliminated the typical freshman timid play.
Junior Gerard Martin stays in the mix after averaging 29.2 minutes last season and earning All-WAC defensive team honors.
From there, it could be situational with several returnees: senior guard Shaq Carr, sophomore guard Fiifi Aidoo and junior power forward Kerwin Smith and the return of junior Matt Jackson, a big man who missed last season because of injury and can help spread opposing defenses with his 3-point shot.
Another freshman, point guard Damari Milstead, also has made a case for playing time with his dogged defensive work and his ability to push tempo on offense.
"I've never had 11, 12 guys who actually could go out there and play and play well," Majerle said. "For me, it's going to be a challenge of who gets on the floor, who's playing well, the matchups and playing guys at different positions. As long as we stay healthy, we're going to be really, really deep."
Â
Home sweet home
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The Lopes play their first six games at GCU Arena, where season tickets sold out for the first time. They open against Florida A&M, whose new head coach, Robert McCullum, was an Oregon assistant last season with Benson's team. The Rattlers beat Johnson, 107-71, at home Monday with 58.8 percent shooting and 24 points from senior forward Desmond Williams.
"I'm always nervous for the first game to see how everybody performs when it's for real," Majerle said.
The Havocs students lined up for last week's exhibition game to create a raucous environment, so the start of GCU's Division I postseason eligibility era is more than enough to fire up another purple party.
"When they say it's the best party in college basketball, that's definitely an understatement," Vernon said.
Follow Paul Coro on Twitter: @paulcoro.
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