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: Elizabeth Tinajero
Insider: Coaches fire up pep rally
6/18/2019 9:12:00 AM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro, Lopes Insider Blog
Even in June, GCU men's basketball draws big crowd
On a quiet mid-June day at Grand Canyon, the Canyon 49 Grill filled with people and noise Monday for a GCU men's basketball pep rally that showed how the campus' Lopes hoops passion barely wanes.
It was a chance for about 400 employees to hear from GCU head coach Dan Majerle, new Lopes associate head coach Marvin Menzies, new assistant coach Isaac Chew and players to help bridge the gap between March Madness and Midnight Madness.
"The potential for us is off the charts and I explain that to our guys as they walk in every day – that this is not a normal university," Majerle said. "We are here to do great things and that's why I recruited these guys. They put in the work and the effort every day to do that. I'm proud of them for that."
Four consecutive 20-win seasons only has affirmed Majerle's constant contention that coming to GCU in 2013 was the best decision that he ever had made. He said he recently returned from a Nike coaches convention where other coaches continue to walk up to him and open conversations with "No," telling him that they want no part of trying to deal with GCU Arena's raucous crowds.
"I'm here to thank you for that," Majerle said. "We have together built something very special and are very, very close to taking that next step. That next step is getting to a tournament. I wholeheartedly believe that we're going to do that."
Majerle said that Boise State head coach Leon Rice, who lost at GCU last season, told Gonzaga head coach Mark Few, "He's got you beat."
Few said, "What do you mean?"
Rice said, "I've played in both spots and Grand Canyon has a better crowd and a better atmosphere than you do at Gonzaga."
Majerle and his staff do not shy away from goals to be like Gonzaga, a perennial top-25 team and NCAA tournament qualifier. Chew, who has coached for Texas A&M, Virginia Tech, Marquette and Missouri, said it was clear what GCU had before he started work in Phoenix two months ago.
"It's a nationwide brand," Chew said of GCU. "Every coach I talked to about this job, before I took it, they were like, 'Man, It's a bigtime spot. Great atmosphere. Great coach. Great fan base.' From the moment I got here, you feel it in the athletic department. You feel it around campus. Everybody is ready to do something special and it's breathtaking to me."
Menzies, as a former New Mexico State head coach, shared how he was unable to relay play calls to his players as a visiting coach and what a competitive advantage the Havocs and sold-out crowds create.
"I'm so excited to be here that it's ridiculous," Menzies said.
GCU returns top two scorers Carlos Johnson, a senior guard, and Alessandro Lever, a junior center, for next season along with players like senior Oscar Frayer, freshman Jovan Blacksher Jr. and junior guards Isiah Brown, Mikey Dixon and J.J. Rhymes, who sat out last season at GCU after transferring.
"We work hard," Brown said. "We're trying to win championships. We're starting to build a culture that expects titles. We'll take the right steps and be on the right path."
Follow Paul Coro on Twitter: @paulcoro.
It was a chance for about 400 employees to hear from GCU head coach Dan Majerle, new Lopes associate head coach Marvin Menzies, new assistant coach Isaac Chew and players to help bridge the gap between March Madness and Midnight Madness.
"The potential for us is off the charts and I explain that to our guys as they walk in every day – that this is not a normal university," Majerle said. "We are here to do great things and that's why I recruited these guys. They put in the work and the effort every day to do that. I'm proud of them for that."
Four consecutive 20-win seasons only has affirmed Majerle's constant contention that coming to GCU in 2013 was the best decision that he ever had made. He said he recently returned from a Nike coaches convention where other coaches continue to walk up to him and open conversations with "No," telling him that they want no part of trying to deal with GCU Arena's raucous crowds.
"I'm here to thank you for that," Majerle said. "We have together built something very special and are very, very close to taking that next step. That next step is getting to a tournament. I wholeheartedly believe that we're going to do that."
Majerle said that Boise State head coach Leon Rice, who lost at GCU last season, told Gonzaga head coach Mark Few, "He's got you beat."
Few said, "What do you mean?"
Rice said, "I've played in both spots and Grand Canyon has a better crowd and a better atmosphere than you do at Gonzaga."
Majerle and his staff do not shy away from goals to be like Gonzaga, a perennial top-25 team and NCAA tournament qualifier. Chew, who has coached for Texas A&M, Virginia Tech, Marquette and Missouri, said it was clear what GCU had before he started work in Phoenix two months ago.
"It's a nationwide brand," Chew said of GCU. "Every coach I talked to about this job, before I took it, they were like, 'Man, It's a bigtime spot. Great atmosphere. Great coach. Great fan base.' From the moment I got here, you feel it in the athletic department. You feel it around campus. Everybody is ready to do something special and it's breathtaking to me."
Menzies, as a former New Mexico State head coach, shared how he was unable to relay play calls to his players as a visiting coach and what a competitive advantage the Havocs and sold-out crowds create.
"I'm so excited to be here that it's ridiculous," Menzies said.
GCU returns top two scorers Carlos Johnson, a senior guard, and Alessandro Lever, a junior center, for next season along with players like senior Oscar Frayer, freshman Jovan Blacksher Jr. and junior guards Isiah Brown, Mikey Dixon and J.J. Rhymes, who sat out last season at GCU after transferring.
"We work hard," Brown said. "We're trying to win championships. We're starting to build a culture that expects titles. We'll take the right steps and be on the right path."
Follow Paul Coro on Twitter: @paulcoro.
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