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Grand Canyon University Athletics
Senior Spotlight: Michael Finke
2/27/2019 8:31:00 AM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro
Illinois transfer teams with brother, posts career season
Michael Finke fully understands how nothing worth having comes easily.
His transfer to Grand Canyon as a graduate student started with being sidelined for the Lopes' international trip because of an injury. That delayed his indoctrination to his third head coach in three seasons. Another injury sidelined him for three games in late December. He went four weeks between starts and even longer between visits with his fiancée, Lexi Lane, a senior at his former school, Illinois.
As he enters his final week of GCU home games, the journey has proved worthwhile because he is having a career season and getting to be teammates for the first time with his youngest brother, Tim.
"I didn't really know what to expect," Finke said. "We grew up together but we've never been on the same team. There's definitely a different aspect than what I'm accustomed to but it's been great. I've loved every moment of it, to be able to be around him every day in the gym and off the court. To go through life and be around him for his freshman year has been really special."
They have been one of the most prominent brother tandems in Division I basketball this season with Finke starting as 6-foot-10 power forward and his brother as a key 6-6 reserve guard.
Finke is trending toward ending his career with his best basketball. This season, he has career-high marks for points per game (10.6), rebounds per game (4.8), assists per game (1.4), field goal percentage (52.6) and free throw percentage (80.9). He had been a career 61.0 percent free throw shooter over his previous three seasons at Illinois.
This month, Finke scored a career-high 36 points with nine rebounds, five assists and no turnovers in 40 minutes at Kansas City and followed it at Chicago State with 24 points, matching his previous career high, set in 2015.
"I really tried to soak everything in that Coach Majerle's trying to teach us," Finke said. "It's starting to come along for me personally. I'm trying to be more aggressive to help this team win. It's coming along and hopefully we'll finish on a strong note."
Finke always was known as a big man who could spread defenses with his perimeter shot, but he has developed a post game with the Lopes staff. His turnover rate nearly has been cut in half from where it was two seasons ago.
"Michael has been everything that I thought he would be," Majerle said. "Just like all the other kids, you wish you could have him for longer. I think he'd be even better next year just because of our system and how he fits in. I think he's just really starting to get comfortable now. He's a great, great kid and a great teammate who can really shoot the basketball. He cares about winning over everything else. He's a kid you love to have in your program."
The sentiment has been mutual. He is partial to his brother as a favorite teammate but has grown close to all of the Lopes in his lone GCU season. He turned down Power Five programs for this basketball experience, the Colangelo College of Business and the chance to help GCU reach its first Division I NCAA tournament.
"It's been great to be able to be around these guys, come in here every day and compete, be able to be coached by Coach Majerle with his basketball knowledge and what he's taught me," Finke said. "To be around this staff and change my game. I think I've gotten better as a player over this year."
Second of four Senior Spotlights on the GCU men's basketball seniors who are playing their final home games this week.
Tuesday: Trey Drechsel
Today: Michael Finke
Thursday: Matt Jackson
Friday: Gerard Martin
His transfer to Grand Canyon as a graduate student started with being sidelined for the Lopes' international trip because of an injury. That delayed his indoctrination to his third head coach in three seasons. Another injury sidelined him for three games in late December. He went four weeks between starts and even longer between visits with his fiancée, Lexi Lane, a senior at his former school, Illinois.
As he enters his final week of GCU home games, the journey has proved worthwhile because he is having a career season and getting to be teammates for the first time with his youngest brother, Tim.
"I didn't really know what to expect," Finke said. "We grew up together but we've never been on the same team. There's definitely a different aspect than what I'm accustomed to but it's been great. I've loved every moment of it, to be able to be around him every day in the gym and off the court. To go through life and be around him for his freshman year has been really special."
They have been one of the most prominent brother tandems in Division I basketball this season with Finke starting as 6-foot-10 power forward and his brother as a key 6-6 reserve guard.
Finke is trending toward ending his career with his best basketball. This season, he has career-high marks for points per game (10.6), rebounds per game (4.8), assists per game (1.4), field goal percentage (52.6) and free throw percentage (80.9). He had been a career 61.0 percent free throw shooter over his previous three seasons at Illinois.
This month, Finke scored a career-high 36 points with nine rebounds, five assists and no turnovers in 40 minutes at Kansas City and followed it at Chicago State with 24 points, matching his previous career high, set in 2015.
"I really tried to soak everything in that Coach Majerle's trying to teach us," Finke said. "It's starting to come along for me personally. I'm trying to be more aggressive to help this team win. It's coming along and hopefully we'll finish on a strong note."
Finke always was known as a big man who could spread defenses with his perimeter shot, but he has developed a post game with the Lopes staff. His turnover rate nearly has been cut in half from where it was two seasons ago.
"Michael has been everything that I thought he would be," Majerle said. "Just like all the other kids, you wish you could have him for longer. I think he'd be even better next year just because of our system and how he fits in. I think he's just really starting to get comfortable now. He's a great, great kid and a great teammate who can really shoot the basketball. He cares about winning over everything else. He's a kid you love to have in your program."
The sentiment has been mutual. He is partial to his brother as a favorite teammate but has grown close to all of the Lopes in his lone GCU season. He turned down Power Five programs for this basketball experience, the Colangelo College of Business and the chance to help GCU reach its first Division I NCAA tournament.
"It's been great to be able to be around these guys, come in here every day and compete, be able to be coached by Coach Majerle with his basketball knowledge and what he's taught me," Finke said. "To be around this staff and change my game. I think I've gotten better as a player over this year."
Second of four Senior Spotlights on the GCU men's basketball seniors who are playing their final home games this week.
Tuesday: Trey Drechsel
Today: Michael Finke
Thursday: Matt Jackson
Friday: Gerard Martin
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Basketball
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