Completed Event: Men's Basketball at UNLV on February 7, 2026 , Loss , 78, to, 80
M Basketball
at UNLV
L 78-80
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Photo by: Slaven Gujic
Insider: Top NBA rookie hails Russell
2/6/2018 10:14:00 AM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro, Lopes Insider Blog
Utah's Donovan Mitchell names ex-Lope as toughest college foe
The Utah Jazz's Donovan Mitchell is one of the best rookies in the NBA this season.
He was selected to participate in the NBA All-Star Weekend's slam dunk contest this month.
And he remains in awe of what DeWayne Russell did against him and Louisville last season at Grand Canyon.
Mitchell was back in Phoenix with the Jazz on Friday night and stuck to what he said at the NBA Draft Combine – that Russell was the toughest opponent he had last season. Russell scored 42 points during a GCU 79-70 loss to Louisville, prompting then-Cardinals head coach Rick Pitino to call it the best guard performance he had ever faced.
"That's my guy," Mitchell said of Russell. "He gave me 42. It was crazy. Their No. 2 scorer (Joshua Braun) was out. I still have it on my computer. He had like 10 or 12 (points) on me. We pretty much threw everybody at him and he scored on everybody. He was crazy. Tell him I said hello."
Mitchell was a first-round sleeper prospect in May when he was asked who was the best player that he faced last season with Louisville. Mitchell paused to think and broke into a smile before surprising the media with an answer of Russell, who posted the second-highest opponent scoring total in Louisville history.
"He was definitely the best player," Mitchell said of Russell making 14 of 27 shots from all over the floor against Louisville's traps.
Russell is playing professionally in France with Sluc Nancy of Ligue Nacional de Basket Pro B. He was named last week's LNB Pro B Player of the Week after scoring 27 points in a win against Lille on Saturday. For the season, Russell is averaging 15.3 points and 6.2 assists while making 43.1 percent of his 3-point shots for an 11-6 team.
Follow Paul Coro on Twitter: @paulcoro.
He was selected to participate in the NBA All-Star Weekend's slam dunk contest this month.
And he remains in awe of what DeWayne Russell did against him and Louisville last season at Grand Canyon.
Mitchell was back in Phoenix with the Jazz on Friday night and stuck to what he said at the NBA Draft Combine – that Russell was the toughest opponent he had last season. Russell scored 42 points during a GCU 79-70 loss to Louisville, prompting then-Cardinals head coach Rick Pitino to call it the best guard performance he had ever faced.
"That's my guy," Mitchell said of Russell. "He gave me 42. It was crazy. Their No. 2 scorer (Joshua Braun) was out. I still have it on my computer. He had like 10 or 12 (points) on me. We pretty much threw everybody at him and he scored on everybody. He was crazy. Tell him I said hello."
Mitchell was a first-round sleeper prospect in May when he was asked who was the best player that he faced last season with Louisville. Mitchell paused to think and broke into a smile before surprising the media with an answer of Russell, who posted the second-highest opponent scoring total in Louisville history.
"He was definitely the best player," Mitchell said of Russell making 14 of 27 shots from all over the floor against Louisville's traps.
Russell is playing professionally in France with Sluc Nancy of Ligue Nacional de Basket Pro B. He was named last week's LNB Pro B Player of the Week after scoring 27 points in a win against Lille on Saturday. For the season, Russell is averaging 15.3 points and 6.2 assists while making 43.1 percent of his 3-point shots for an 11-6 team.
Follow Paul Coro on Twitter: @paulcoro.
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballGCU Men's Basketball vs. Fresno State - Postgame Radio with Bryce Drew
Wednesday, March 11
GCU Men's Basketball vs. Fresno State - Postgame Radio with Brian Moore Jr.
Wednesday, March 11
What's Ahead for the Mountain West Tournament?
Monday, March 09
GCU Men's Basketball vs. Fresno State - Postgame with Dusty Stromer, Brian Moore Jr.
Sunday, March 08