Completed Event: Men's Basketball versus Western New Mexico (Exhibition) on October 27, 2026 , Win , 82, to, 59
M Basketball
vs Western New Mexico (Exhibition)
W 82-59
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Photo by: Travis Neely
4/14/2018 3:15:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro, Lopes Insider Blog
Head coach shows commitment to GCU, goals, recruits
Dan Majerle's purple remains in a Lopes hue.
The five-year Grand Canyon head men's basketball coach reaffirmed his commitment to GCU by turning down an invitation to interview for the Phoenix Suns' head coaching job.
Majerle is a member of the Suns Ring of Honor for his nine-year playing career but he also spent four years as a Suns broadcast analyst and five years as a Suns assistant coach before coming to GCU in 2013 to guide the Division I transition.
"Ryan (Suns general manager Ryan McDonough) called and wanted to know if I'd be interested in sitting down and talking about an opportunity to interview for the job," Majerle said. "I just told him that, 'Although I'm very appreciative, I'm fully committed to GCU and what we're trying to do here and what we're trying to get done.' I think he understood that would be my answer and he knows that I'm fully committed to GCU. He understands that that Mr. (Jerry) Colangelo and President (Brian) Mueller gave an opportunity to be head coach of this university and I haven't done what I wanted to do yet."
The Lopes came one step shy of a NCAA tournament bid in their first season of eligibility. They have won at least 22 games for three consecutive seasons and reached the championship game of their first WAC Basketball Tournament. GCU's 71-28 record over the past three seasons ties the Lopes with Notre Dame and USC for the 28th most victories in Division I over that span.
With a growing Phoenix campus, sold-out season tickets, increased facilities and supportive administration, Majerle considers coaching GCU to be the best job in college basketball.
"I'm very committed here," Majerle said. "I'm loyal. I know it's a great job. They've put a lot of trust in me and they've done right by me. They've done everything that they said they were going to do. I just don't want to leave. I really enjoy my job. I know it's a great opportunity. I was brought here to do a specific thing -- to take them to the (NCAA) tournament, to win the WAC and to be a top-25 team. We've made really great strides toward that in the short five years. I have a commitment to the university. I have a commitment to my recruits. When I recruited them, I told them I wasn't going anywhere so I would have a hard time leaving."
GCU Arena was expanded to a 7,200-person capacity in 2014 and the Lopes were one of 14 men's basketball programs in the nation to have an average attendance capacity of more than 99 percent this season. Last year, the new GCU Basketball Practice Facility also opened for the men's and women's programs.
"Everybody that recruits against us is going to say he's looking for a bigger job or he's going to be in the NBA," Majerle said. "Same thing that I tell the recruits: until they come here, they just don't understand what a great job it is and what the opportunity is. I'm very happy where I'm at. They've taken care of me. I came here to do a job and I want to finish that job and do the best I can."
Majerle expresses that he has no desire to leave but plenty of coaches desire being on his GCU staff. Since Todd Lee became head coach this month at his alma mater, South Dakota, there has been tremendous interest in the GCU associate head coaching vacancy that he created.
"I think everybody is starting to realize that what we're doing is special and this would be a great thing to be a part of," Majerle said. "My phone won't stop ringing. Everybody's calling Todd to ask him to get a hold of me. There has been a ton of interest in this job. Any coach would jump to come here and be a part of this program."
Follow Paul Coro on Twitter: @paulcoro.
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The five-year Grand Canyon head men's basketball coach reaffirmed his commitment to GCU by turning down an invitation to interview for the Phoenix Suns' head coaching job.
Majerle is a member of the Suns Ring of Honor for his nine-year playing career but he also spent four years as a Suns broadcast analyst and five years as a Suns assistant coach before coming to GCU in 2013 to guide the Division I transition.
"Ryan (Suns general manager Ryan McDonough) called and wanted to know if I'd be interested in sitting down and talking about an opportunity to interview for the job," Majerle said. "I just told him that, 'Although I'm very appreciative, I'm fully committed to GCU and what we're trying to do here and what we're trying to get done.' I think he understood that would be my answer and he knows that I'm fully committed to GCU. He understands that that Mr. (Jerry) Colangelo and President (Brian) Mueller gave an opportunity to be head coach of this university and I haven't done what I wanted to do yet."
The Lopes came one step shy of a NCAA tournament bid in their first season of eligibility. They have won at least 22 games for three consecutive seasons and reached the championship game of their first WAC Basketball Tournament. GCU's 71-28 record over the past three seasons ties the Lopes with Notre Dame and USC for the 28th most victories in Division I over that span.
With a growing Phoenix campus, sold-out season tickets, increased facilities and supportive administration, Majerle considers coaching GCU to be the best job in college basketball.
"I'm very committed here," Majerle said. "I'm loyal. I know it's a great job. They've put a lot of trust in me and they've done right by me. They've done everything that they said they were going to do. I just don't want to leave. I really enjoy my job. I know it's a great opportunity. I was brought here to do a specific thing -- to take them to the (NCAA) tournament, to win the WAC and to be a top-25 team. We've made really great strides toward that in the short five years. I have a commitment to the university. I have a commitment to my recruits. When I recruited them, I told them I wasn't going anywhere so I would have a hard time leaving."
GCU Arena was expanded to a 7,200-person capacity in 2014 and the Lopes were one of 14 men's basketball programs in the nation to have an average attendance capacity of more than 99 percent this season. Last year, the new GCU Basketball Practice Facility also opened for the men's and women's programs.
"Everybody that recruits against us is going to say he's looking for a bigger job or he's going to be in the NBA," Majerle said. "Same thing that I tell the recruits: until they come here, they just don't understand what a great job it is and what the opportunity is. I'm very happy where I'm at. They've taken care of me. I came here to do a job and I want to finish that job and do the best I can."
Majerle expresses that he has no desire to leave but plenty of coaches desire being on his GCU staff. Since Todd Lee became head coach this month at his alma mater, South Dakota, there has been tremendous interest in the GCU associate head coaching vacancy that he created.
"I think everybody is starting to realize that what we're doing is special and this would be a great thing to be a part of," Majerle said. "My phone won't stop ringing. Everybody's calling Todd to ask him to get a hold of me. There has been a ton of interest in this job. Any coach would jump to come here and be a part of this program."
Follow Paul Coro on Twitter: @paulcoro.
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