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Grand Canyon University Athletics
Coro: Lopes win on dark day in Barcelona
8/17/2017 2:17:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro
BARCELONA -- The Grand Canyon men's basketball players and staffers are safe.
The Lopes won their Spain trip's opening exhibition game Thursday night, but their well-being became the day's most important outcome. The importance of GCU's victory diminished in light of what occurred where the team had passed on a tour bus earlier Thursday.
Just as GCU headed to its game Thursday evening in Sant Feliu de Llobregat, the tragic news of a van attack in the heart of Barcelona was becoming known. By the time the team returned from its victory late Thursday, a pall had dropped over the city with closed streets and increased police presence following the deaths of 13 people and injuries to dozens more in Las Ramblas' pedestrian area.
About 11 miles away from city commotion, the 2017-18 Lopes played their first competitive game. In the Palau Municipal d'Esports building, which honors hometown hero Juan Carlos Navarro, GCU easily posted a 96-58 victory against an assemblage of local top players, including some pros.
"Sloppy, but I knew it would be," Lopes head coach Dan Majerle said. "It's good for our new guys to get in and face some new competition. I thought Alessandro (Lever, a freshman from Italy) was pretty good. Roberts (Blumbergs, a freshman from Lativa) was pretty good. I know what I'm going to get out of most of the other guys. Damari (Milstead, a freshman from Hayward, Calif.) has a long way to go. He's got to figure it out, but it was good for the most part.
"It was tough conditions with what is going on here and all of our travel. We'll get better each game. Nowhere to go but up."
Lopes senior guard Joshua Braun posted a team-high 16 points, scoring the team's first 10 points of the second half with two 3-pointers and two jump shots on four of the first five possessions. GCU scored 20 points over about five minutes of the third quarter, capped by a 3 from Blumbergs (nine points). Blumbergs, a sleek 6-foot-10 forward, started the game with Braun, senior point guard Casey Benson, sophomore guard Oscar Frayer and senior power forward Keonta Vernon.
Lever needed the Lopes' early August start to get into better shape, but he showed how his bigger 6-10 frame can help the team. He has a shooting touch but scored mostly in the paint, including two offensive follows and two trips to the line to finish with 12 points.
"We are a good team and can do very well this year," Lever said. "We played good against a pretty good team. I feel good with everybody. I enjoy all of them. I think we can do something important this year."
The Lopes opened the game with a 15-2 lead, but turnovers slowed the blowout pace. They gradually pulled away to a 50-25 halftime lead once Milstead closed the half with a nice baseline-driving drop pass for a Kerwin Smith slam and a dynamic scoring drive. The Lopes did not make their first 3 until Benson closed the first quarter with one, but the team finished with 9-of-25 3-point shooting.
"We're a new team and everybody is learning plays and things are falling into place for us," Frayer said. "Everybody is getting a feel for each other. As the game went on and Coach got on us a little bit, we started to play well."
The Lopes are scheduled to play again Saturday in the Barcelona area and on Tuesday in Marbella.
"This will be a good starting point," Majerle said. "The guys have to get in better shape. Some guys, especially the young guys, think they're in shape. Then when they get out and run, they're not."
Follow Paul Coro on Twitter: @paulcoro.
The Lopes won their Spain trip's opening exhibition game Thursday night, but their well-being became the day's most important outcome. The importance of GCU's victory diminished in light of what occurred where the team had passed on a tour bus earlier Thursday.
Just as GCU headed to its game Thursday evening in Sant Feliu de Llobregat, the tragic news of a van attack in the heart of Barcelona was becoming known. By the time the team returned from its victory late Thursday, a pall had dropped over the city with closed streets and increased police presence following the deaths of 13 people and injuries to dozens more in Las Ramblas' pedestrian area.
About 11 miles away from city commotion, the 2017-18 Lopes played their first competitive game. In the Palau Municipal d'Esports building, which honors hometown hero Juan Carlos Navarro, GCU easily posted a 96-58 victory against an assemblage of local top players, including some pros.
"Sloppy, but I knew it would be," Lopes head coach Dan Majerle said. "It's good for our new guys to get in and face some new competition. I thought Alessandro (Lever, a freshman from Italy) was pretty good. Roberts (Blumbergs, a freshman from Lativa) was pretty good. I know what I'm going to get out of most of the other guys. Damari (Milstead, a freshman from Hayward, Calif.) has a long way to go. He's got to figure it out, but it was good for the most part.
"It was tough conditions with what is going on here and all of our travel. We'll get better each game. Nowhere to go but up."
Lopes senior guard Joshua Braun posted a team-high 16 points, scoring the team's first 10 points of the second half with two 3-pointers and two jump shots on four of the first five possessions. GCU scored 20 points over about five minutes of the third quarter, capped by a 3 from Blumbergs (nine points). Blumbergs, a sleek 6-foot-10 forward, started the game with Braun, senior point guard Casey Benson, sophomore guard Oscar Frayer and senior power forward Keonta Vernon.
Lever needed the Lopes' early August start to get into better shape, but he showed how his bigger 6-10 frame can help the team. He has a shooting touch but scored mostly in the paint, including two offensive follows and two trips to the line to finish with 12 points.
"We are a good team and can do very well this year," Lever said. "We played good against a pretty good team. I feel good with everybody. I enjoy all of them. I think we can do something important this year."
The Lopes opened the game with a 15-2 lead, but turnovers slowed the blowout pace. They gradually pulled away to a 50-25 halftime lead once Milstead closed the half with a nice baseline-driving drop pass for a Kerwin Smith slam and a dynamic scoring drive. The Lopes did not make their first 3 until Benson closed the first quarter with one, but the team finished with 9-of-25 3-point shooting.
"We're a new team and everybody is learning plays and things are falling into place for us," Frayer said. "Everybody is getting a feel for each other. As the game went on and Coach got on us a little bit, we started to play well."
The Lopes are scheduled to play again Saturday in the Barcelona area and on Tuesday in Marbella.
"This will be a good starting point," Majerle said. "The guys have to get in better shape. Some guys, especially the young guys, think they're in shape. Then when they get out and run, they're not."
Follow Paul Coro on Twitter: @paulcoro.
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