12/10/2019 11:15:00 AM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro, Lopes Insider Blog, Havocs
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National telecast highlights Lopes students, program
By: Paul Coro
Grand Canyon's appearance on ESPNU was a win for the program, even if it did not result as a victory for the standings.
During the Jerry Colangelo Classic at Talking Stick Resort Arena, the ESPNU broadcast team of play-by-play announcer Sam Farber and analyst Corey Williams praised GCU basketball for head coach Dan Majerle, staff and players but really marveled at the Havocs student section.
Here is a sample of the commentary and an in-game interview with Colangelo for a telecast that opened with the GCU logo on the Phoenix Suns' arena outdoor marquee and played with a continuous audible backdrop of the Havocs:
Farber in intro: Welcome to the Air Force Reserve basketball Jerry Colangelo Classic. We're inside Talking Stick Resort Arena, home to the Phoenix Suns and host to the biggest party in the whole college basketball.
Farber on GCU freshman point guard Jovan Blacksher Jr.: The future is now with a freshman point guard, Jovan Blacksher Jr., averaging double digits on the season.
Williams on Blacksher: He's responsible for the offensive flow of the Lopes and he's also learning on the job. He's a talented young man who has had a lot on his shoulders and he's delivered in some big games.
Farber on GCU head coach Dan Majerle as he was shown shaking the hand of new Basketball Hall of Fame member and former Lopes head coach Paul Westphal. He's a legend here in these parts.
ESPNU analyst Corey Williams Williams on Havocs: If there's a better student section in college basketball, I'd like to see that. I mean that in all sincerity. We're in for a show on the court but keep your eye on the crowd. They've got dance routines that they do throughout the game.
Farber: Grand Canyon just arriving on the scene a few years ago in the WAC but it is an absolute madhouse when they're playing at their home arena. I'm almost disappointed that we're not playing over there.
Williams: Tremendous atmosphere and built a great program in a short amount of time. Dan Majerle and his staff there deserve a ton of credit.
Farber: The rumors are true, Corey. It's the best student section in college basketball.
Williams on GCU junior center Alessandro Lever: You see how good his footwork is. He's always had the great touch as far as his short. Right now, they are looking to make him more mobile this year and harder to guard.
Farber: They say they're the home to the biggest party in college basketball. Grand Canyon University, this small WAC squad, has the best student section anywhere I've seen all season. It's been a while since you've seen once this good, I'm sure, too.
Williams: You know what? I've got to be honest. I haven't seen anything like that. You look at the fan bases. Obviously, the Cameron Crazies. Everybody knows about them and what they bring. And then The Phog when you're talking about Kansas. They're pretty boisterous. But right now, the Havocs, they're just hands down. The coordination. The showmanship. The banners. The costumes. The dance routines. Nobody brings it on this level when you're talking about student sections.
Williams: Great atmosphere. I can tell you, as a player, nothing feels better than the roar of the crowd. With every great play, having that student section behind you definitely helps out. It's the same thing (with opponents). Every turnover, every missed shot, there's a level of concentration you have to bring when you play the Lopes.
Farber on Majerle: Three-time NBA All-Star. A legend here in Phoenix. Fourteen years in the NBA. His number and name up on the Ring of Honor here inside Talking Stick Resort Arena. Still has a lot of that same fire from his playing days in his shootaround yesterday and on the bench here in the game as well.
Williams on Majerle: No question about it. He knows what it takes. He wants to see his guys be competitive, move the ball, all things and think with that guard mentality he had from all his years in the NBA. A look at the success he was able to have. He was that combination of athleticism and played that thinking basketball where he would outsmart a lot of his defenders. And he wants his guys to communicate on defense. He stressed that yesterday in practice and he's trying to drill that home.
Farber on GCU staff: He put a good together a really good staff. One addition to it this year was assistant Marvin Menzies, former head coach at UNVL and New Mexico State adding some additional coaching experience and a really good recruiter to his bench.
Williams on GCU staff: It's almost unfair. I want to walk over there and tell them, 'You guys are cheating.' Anytime you've got a head coach as an assistant on staff, that's a tremendous advantage.
Williams while in Havocs section: I'm here with the most lit student section in all of college basketball. Now you know I pride myself on being the best dressed but, as you can see, I've got a long way to go. They roll 4,000 deep to most games. It's always Lopes Up. These guys are crazy and I love it.
Williams on Lever: He really can do it all. You talk about rebounding, defending. He's got the great high post jumper. Good post moves.
Colangelo: Grand Canyon was a small liberal arts school featuring nursing and a few other things, but less than 1,000 students. It was on the west side of Phoenix but kind of a sleeping little school. Once some people took over and wanted to do something huge with it about nine years ago, it was the beginning of a change. From 900 students, there is now 22,000 on campus. About a billion and a half dollars in infrastructure has been put into building up over 400 acres. One of the major things we had to do, that I tried to concentrate on, was to help us get into Division I. We did that and that was a big calling card for us. We've made tremendous progress the last seven years. I just think we have a very bright future.
Colangelo: We've got over 20,000 online and on-campus who are in the (Colangelo College of Business), it's that huge. I get an opportunity to share stories. That's the way I communicated with them. I'm old enough that I have quite a few stories to tell.
Colangelo: Brian Mueller, who is the president of Grand Canyon, a former basketball guy but an academic guy, had a great vision and I bought into that vision.
Colangelo on Majerle: He's such a terrific guy. He was an interesting player coming out of college at Central Michigan. He was a slasher. He was a defensive player. He was someone who really couldn't shoot the ball very well. He only became one of the best shooters in the NBA by working at it. He became one of the most popular players to ever wear a Phoenix Suns uniform. He seemed to be a natural when we were looking to hire a coach at Grand Canyon to help lead us going to Division I. He's had seven years and he's done a terrific job.
Williams on GCU: A lot of times, the job of a coach is to see the glass is half full. Right now, they gave a good effort. Sixty-one points. They took a nine-point loss to a team that's obviously going to be a tournament team, hopefully. You know you didn't play your best ball if you're the Lopes. You know that's there's tons of room for improvement. You've got a freshman point guard. Guys didn't have big games and yet you still only lost by nine. You can build on that. Keep guys focused because you don't have to play your best basketball in December.
