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Grand Canyon University Athletics
Zdor's zeal comes into play this season
11/17/2020 9:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro
GCU 6-10 junior power forward cleared for 2020-21 action
Dima Zdor played it cool when Grand Canyon head coach Bryce Drew joined him at a Jerry Colangelo Museum table to deliver the news that the 6-foot-10 junior power forward is eligible to play for GCU this season.
But Zdor could not contain himself for long, slapping that table moments later with the sheer joy of being granted a NCAA waiver to play this season after transferring from Weber State in April.
"This is crazy," Zdor said. "Everything is just falling into place. It's an indescribable feeling."
Zdor deepens a Lopes frontcourt that already featured Preseason All-WAC honoree Alessandro Lever and added 7-foot Wichita State transfer Asbjørn Midtgaard and 6-7 sophomore Gabe McGlothan, who is returning to action after a redshirt season.
"We are really excited to have Dima playing for us this year," said Drew, who added Zdor and Midtgaard in his first month on the job. "He has played well at practice and brings an abundance of energy to the floor."
Zdor, a Ukrainian who played at U.S. high schools, averaged 3.9 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.6 blocked shots over the final 14 games of his sophomore season at Weber State, where he posted a season high of 18 rebounds in 25 minutes of action.
"I've improved 150% here," Zdor said of GCU. "I think I'm a way better player than I was in March. When I first came here, I was skinny. I could not shoot. I could not dribble. I couldn't do any of that stuff. Now, we got bigger. We got stronger. We got faster. We can shoot. We can put it on the floor. We can dunk even better. We can run the court for real, for real. It's a whole new DZ1."
Zdor wears No. 1 but he puts his team first, especially with the credit for his rapid progression. The Lopes played a recent intrasquad scrimmage in which his team won on his buzzer-beating dunk, encapsulating his progress.
"It's been 100% a collective effort," Zdor said. "Hard coaching from Coach Drew, Coach (Jamall) Walker, Coach (Ed) Schilling, Coach (Casey) Shaw, Coach (Jordan) Jackson. It's just amazing to see the results. Everyone's done a great job, pushing me and making me go through challenges and all the fun stuff. Now, all of us can see the progress. It wasn't just my coaches. It was my teammates too."
Zdor's shot-blocking and rebounding attracted Drew's and Shaw's attention, but Zdor's zeal for the game and for his teammates has added to team chemistry even when he knew he might need to redshirt.
"Now we're going to sleep in the gym, eat in the gym, study in the gym, do everything in the gym," Zdor said. "I'm not coming out of this bubble.
"I want to be the best teammate on my team. I love my team. I will bring energy. I will bring hustle plays. I will be blocking and running the court. Being a glue guy is the goal for this year."
Follow Paul Coro on Twitter: @paulcoro.
But Zdor could not contain himself for long, slapping that table moments later with the sheer joy of being granted a NCAA waiver to play this season after transferring from Weber State in April.
"This is crazy," Zdor said. "Everything is just falling into place. It's an indescribable feeling."
Zdor deepens a Lopes frontcourt that already featured Preseason All-WAC honoree Alessandro Lever and added 7-foot Wichita State transfer Asbjørn Midtgaard and 6-7 sophomore Gabe McGlothan, who is returning to action after a redshirt season."We are really excited to have Dima playing for us this year," said Drew, who added Zdor and Midtgaard in his first month on the job. "He has played well at practice and brings an abundance of energy to the floor."
Zdor, a Ukrainian who played at U.S. high schools, averaged 3.9 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.6 blocked shots over the final 14 games of his sophomore season at Weber State, where he posted a season high of 18 rebounds in 25 minutes of action.
"I've improved 150% here," Zdor said of GCU. "I think I'm a way better player than I was in March. When I first came here, I was skinny. I could not shoot. I could not dribble. I couldn't do any of that stuff. Now, we got bigger. We got stronger. We got faster. We can shoot. We can put it on the floor. We can dunk even better. We can run the court for real, for real. It's a whole new DZ1."
Zdor wears No. 1 but he puts his team first, especially with the credit for his rapid progression. The Lopes played a recent intrasquad scrimmage in which his team won on his buzzer-beating dunk, encapsulating his progress.
"It's been 100% a collective effort," Zdor said. "Hard coaching from Coach Drew, Coach (Jamall) Walker, Coach (Ed) Schilling, Coach (Casey) Shaw, Coach (Jordan) Jackson. It's just amazing to see the results. Everyone's done a great job, pushing me and making me go through challenges and all the fun stuff. Now, all of us can see the progress. It wasn't just my coaches. It was my teammates too."
Zdor's shot-blocking and rebounding attracted Drew's and Shaw's attention, but Zdor's zeal for the game and for his teammates has added to team chemistry even when he knew he might need to redshirt.
"Now we're going to sleep in the gym, eat in the gym, study in the gym, do everything in the gym," Zdor said. "I'm not coming out of this bubble.
"I want to be the best teammate on my team. I love my team. I will bring energy. I will bring hustle plays. I will be blocking and running the court. Being a glue guy is the goal for this year."
Follow Paul Coro on Twitter: @paulcoro.
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