Fisher transfers to GCU

When Jaylen Fisher envisioned all the basketball that is still left in front of him, he pictured it being played at Grand Canyon.

Fisher, a 6-foot-2 guard, is transferring from TCU to GCU after three years showed the potential that made him a four-star high school recruit from the Memphis area. After injuring a knee in a TCU practice on Jan. 16, 2018, Fisher only played nine more games for the Horned Frogs before deciding to leave the program.

Fisher initially entered his name in the NBA Draft but withdrew it last month with the intention to transfer. He considered New Mexico, Buffalo and Boston College before signing with GCU to complete his college career. A redshirt ruling is pending from the NCAA for his remaining eligibility.

"I really have been thinking about this decision since I left TCU (in January) and rehabbed myself to get better," Fisher said. "Now that I'm 100 percent, I'm ready to go and see what GCU has in store for me.

"I'm just going to be in my bag. It's going to be a sight to see. I can't wait for it. I'm just blessed for the opportunity."

Fisher was ranked as the nation's 34th-best high school point guard prospect by ESPN when he chose TCU over Arkansas, Baylor, Indiana, LSU and UNLV. He started all but one game as a freshman and earned All-Big 12 honorable mention by averaging 9.9 points and 4.0 assists with 38 percent 3-point shooting.

He improved his production to 12.3 points and 5.4 assists per game with 44 percent 3-point shooting as a sophomore, when he posted a career-high 22 points against Oklahoma just before the knee injury ended his season in mid-January. He came back last year with similar production (12.1 points and 2.7 assists per game with 44 percent 3-point shooting) before knee complications ended his season.

Fisher said he now is "100 percent healthy."

"He's a very talented, hard-nosed bulldog," GCU head coach Dan Majerle said. "With Jaylen and Jovan (Blacksher) as our point guards, we're instantly better. I'm very excited about Jaylen joining our team and making us tougher. He's played at a high level. He's really talented so it's just going to come down to keeping him healthy. It's an opportunity to get us better and take the next step. With him and Jovan and their competitive will and defense, we'll have two bulldogs for point guards."

Blacksher, like Fisher a four-star recruit, will be a GCU freshman. Fisher also has a relationship with the Lopes' top returning scorer, senior Carlos Johnson, going back to their high school days, when they considered going to UNLV together. But Fisher now sees what Johnson saw in GCU -- a home atmosphere, coaching staff and program vision that made it the right landing spot.

"Dan Majerle, c'mon now -- he's a vet," Fisher said. "The way he was talking and the stuff he is showing me, he is going to put me in good positions to be a great player. Not just make myself better, but make my teammates better too. I'm an unselfish player, and my ability to score the ball is pretty good. I just think he's going to believe in me."

Stayed Down and I Weathered The Storm 🙏🏻💯 #GCU #LopesUp 🤘🏻(@htmlcalvin ig edit) pic.twitter.com/ONcApqsrbK
— Jaylen Fisher (@areal_hooper) July 2, 2019

For the past few months, Fisher said he has worked out at 9 a.m. daily in the weight room and the gym and then had evening shooting sessions as well.

"I just knew all this work would pay off," Fisher said. "I've never been in this type of environment or fan base. They could be playing anybody and the fans still come. They come for their team and that's all they care about. That's special.

"I know the fans will be rowdy and I know the type of player I am. I feel like I'm a crowd-pleaser. They boost my confidence. We're going to get buckets. It's going to be fun to watch."

Follow Paul Coro on Twitter: @paulcoro.

Grand Canyon University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Jaylen Fisher

Carlos Johnson

Related Videos