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
Insider: Frayer rejoins roster for 2020-21
6/11/2020 4:11:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro, Lopes Insider Blog
GCU senior: 'I've learned from the things I've gone through'
The soaring slams, denying defense and great grin of Oscar Frayer will return to the court next season for Grand Canyon.
Frayer, a 6-foot-7 swingman, rejoined the Lopes roster for his senior season after requalifying academically. GCU gets the high energy and high hops of Frayer back, in addition to a student-athlete who matured while sitting out a season and is on track to graduate.
"It's a blessing and an honor," Frayer said. "Getting through all the trials and tribulations that I went through last year, being able to come back and finish out something I started four years ago is a blessing for sure."
Frayer started 83 games over his first three seasons as a fan favorite and popular teammate at GCU, earning WAC All-Defensive Team honors in 2017-18 and posting career averages of 8.4 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game.
"GCU is such a family-oriented environment and people really want Oscar to be successful," Lopes head coach Bryce Drew said. "He has taken the right steps in this offseason to set himself up for a great senior year. We're excited that he's coming back."
Frayer remained an ardent supporter of the team last season, attending several home games and watching the rest of them from home. All the while, he said the help of GCU senior associate athletic director Jason Linders and the student-athlete development staff guided him to this position of rejoining the team.
A first-year member of that department, men's basketball student-athlete development director Sean Pryor, connected to Frayer in the spring.
"We had a conversation and he touched me a little bit," Frayer said. "Coming from an African-American, he gave me the words and encouragement I needed for sure."
Frayer is in his hometown of Oakland, California, but has been getting to know the new Lopes staff and plans to return to campus this month.
"Coach Drew is God-oriented and he is for the players," Frayer said. "From the conversations I've had with him, he seems to be spiritually oriented and I'm excited to get out there and play for him. I'm starting to build a relationship with these coaches because we're all going to war for each other and we're family at the end of the day. I just want to show them that I belong and I've learned from the things I've gone through this year.
"It's night and day for me. I feel like I grew up from a boy to a man in that situation. It was an important experience, for sure."
Frayer is anxious to rejoin center Alessandro Lever, a fellow senior, ("That's my guy," he said. "I've known him since he couldn't speak a lick of English. He works his butt off. I've got nothing but respect for him.") and sophomore point guard Jovan Blacksher Jr., a fellow Oakland native he met when they were in grade school ("It's crazy to me seeing him grow," Frayer said. "Getting out in transition with him is going to help my game").
Frayer is 188 points away from joining the 1,000-point club, needs two blocked shots to set the GCU Division I-era record and is 177 rebounds away from Keonta Vernon's GCU Division I-era record for career boards.
"It's going to be a blessing to get back out there and put on that purple," Frayer said.
Follow Paul Coro on Twitter: @paulcoro.
Frayer, a 6-foot-7 swingman, rejoined the Lopes roster for his senior season after requalifying academically. GCU gets the high energy and high hops of Frayer back, in addition to a student-athlete who matured while sitting out a season and is on track to graduate.
"It's a blessing and an honor," Frayer said. "Getting through all the trials and tribulations that I went through last year, being able to come back and finish out something I started four years ago is a blessing for sure."Frayer started 83 games over his first three seasons as a fan favorite and popular teammate at GCU, earning WAC All-Defensive Team honors in 2017-18 and posting career averages of 8.4 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game.
"GCU is such a family-oriented environment and people really want Oscar to be successful," Lopes head coach Bryce Drew said. "He has taken the right steps in this offseason to set himself up for a great senior year. We're excited that he's coming back."
Frayer remained an ardent supporter of the team last season, attending several home games and watching the rest of them from home. All the while, he said the help of GCU senior associate athletic director Jason Linders and the student-athlete development staff guided him to this position of rejoining the team.
A first-year member of that department, men's basketball student-athlete development director Sean Pryor, connected to Frayer in the spring.
"We had a conversation and he touched me a little bit," Frayer said. "Coming from an African-American, he gave me the words and encouragement I needed for sure."
Frayer is in his hometown of Oakland, California, but has been getting to know the new Lopes staff and plans to return to campus this month.
"Coach Drew is God-oriented and he is for the players," Frayer said. "From the conversations I've had with him, he seems to be spiritually oriented and I'm excited to get out there and play for him. I'm starting to build a relationship with these coaches because we're all going to war for each other and we're family at the end of the day. I just want to show them that I belong and I've learned from the things I've gone through this year.
"It's night and day for me. I feel like I grew up from a boy to a man in that situation. It was an important experience, for sure."
Frayer is anxious to rejoin center Alessandro Lever, a fellow senior, ("That's my guy," he said. "I've known him since he couldn't speak a lick of English. He works his butt off. I've got nothing but respect for him.") and sophomore point guard Jovan Blacksher Jr., a fellow Oakland native he met when they were in grade school ("It's crazy to me seeing him grow," Frayer said. "Getting out in transition with him is going to help my game").
Frayer is 188 points away from joining the 1,000-point club, needs two blocked shots to set the GCU Division I-era record and is 177 rebounds away from Keonta Vernon's GCU Division I-era record for career boards.
"It's going to be a blessing to get back out there and put on that purple," Frayer said.
Follow Paul Coro on Twitter: @paulcoro.
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