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: Newcomers make deeper, taller Lopes
6/10/2022 11:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro, Lopes Insider Blog
GCU basketball begins summer workouts with 5 newcomers on hand
In the first full week of June, five new Grand Canyon players fast-tracked a feel of what their new team will be like for months to come.
The latest Lopes went through full days of bouncing around the GCU campus like loose balls. They helped at basketball camps in the mornings, put in strength and conditioning work in the middle of the day, hit the court for late-afternoon workouts and ate meals together. The first-week peek into next season ended with a session on the GCU Arena court, a basketball morsel of what the newcomers are devouring.
"This week, I honestly fell in love with everything, my teammates, how coaches run things," said guard Ray Harrison, a transfer who averaged 17.1 points for Presbyterian over his first two Division I seasons. "The pace of everything is new to me, but I'm in love. It's good to see the vision come to life."
The entire 2022-23 Lopes roster worked out together this week except for incoming freshman Derrick Michael Xzavierro, who is training with his Indonesian national team for next month's Asia Cup in Jakarta.
Harrison, UNLV transfer Josh Baker, Georgia transfer Noah Baumann, Kansas State transfer Logan Landers and incoming freshman Isaiah Carr of Las Cruces, New Mexico, joined all of the returning players, including starters Jovan Blacksher Jr., Gabe McGlothan and Yvan Ouedraogo from last season's 23-8 team.
"The new guys have really picked up things quick," GCU third-year head coach Bryce Drew said. "In one week, we have got a lot of things in. The experienced players have really helped them accelerate that learning process. I've just really enjoyed the camaraderie of the guys and how quickly they've jelled on the court."
The Lopes' depth is changing with the experience of the transfers, including Baker, Baumann and Harrison combining for 129 career starts before coming to GCU. The team's average height has risen from 6 feet, 5.3 inches last season to 6 feet, 6.3 inches this season.
"We're really comfortable with our roster," Drew said. "Anybody on the court is going to have opportunities to help us. I think we're a lot bigger and longer across the board than we have been in the first two years here."
Landers and Harrison come to GCU with three eligibility years remaining. Landers, a native of Cedarburg, Wisconsin, is an untapped talent with a 6-foot-9 frame and shooting touch despite not devoting himself full-time to basketball until three years ago. Harrison, a 6-foot-4 guard, was the leading scorer for the past two seasons at Presbyterian but already is reveling in a more balanced GCU lineup.
Harrison's parents traveled from the family home in Greenville, South Carolina, to Phoenix to experience his first week of GCU basketball, which included a team dinner with NBA Finals viewing.
"They definitely went home knowing I was in good hands," Harrison said. "It's a family environment, which was exactly what I was looking for."
Baker, a Tempe McClintock High School graduate, and Baumann, a Phoenix Desert Vista High School graduate, add more home-grown flavor, shooting ability and high-level experience.
Baker, a 6-foot-4 guard, has two eligibility seasons remaining after being a part-time starter at UNLV last season while Baumann, a versatile 6-foot-6 forward, is a fifth-year senior who has shot 42.6% from 3-point range for his career at San Jose State (freshman and sophomore), USC (junior on an Elite Eight team) and Georgia (last season).
Until Xzavierro arrives, Carr is the lone true freshman on the court and he did his best to be ready for the moment. Since his Las Cruces High School season ended with a run to the state championship game in March, Carr has bulked up his 6-foot-11 frame from 205 pounds to 230 pounds in preparation for workouts with fellow Lopes big men Aidan Igiehon, McGlothan and Ouedraogo, who slimmed 20 pounds.
"It's fast-paced for sure," Carr said. "You know it's the next level because of how fast it goes. My first two days, I was like, 'I get it, I get it, I think.' I kept messing up, but I kept learning from my mistakes. I'm on Day 4. I'm a freshman. It's not that I need to chill out, but I've got time to learn this stuff.
"I can't wait for that time when I'm in the best shape of my life and then building on top of it."
The latest Lopes went through full days of bouncing around the GCU campus like loose balls. They helped at basketball camps in the mornings, put in strength and conditioning work in the middle of the day, hit the court for late-afternoon workouts and ate meals together. The first-week peek into next season ended with a session on the GCU Arena court, a basketball morsel of what the newcomers are devouring.
"This week, I honestly fell in love with everything, my teammates, how coaches run things," said guard Ray Harrison, a transfer who averaged 17.1 points for Presbyterian over his first two Division I seasons. "The pace of everything is new to me, but I'm in love. It's good to see the vision come to life."The entire 2022-23 Lopes roster worked out together this week except for incoming freshman Derrick Michael Xzavierro, who is training with his Indonesian national team for next month's Asia Cup in Jakarta.
Harrison, UNLV transfer Josh Baker, Georgia transfer Noah Baumann, Kansas State transfer Logan Landers and incoming freshman Isaiah Carr of Las Cruces, New Mexico, joined all of the returning players, including starters Jovan Blacksher Jr., Gabe McGlothan and Yvan Ouedraogo from last season's 23-8 team.
"The new guys have really picked up things quick," GCU third-year head coach Bryce Drew said. "In one week, we have got a lot of things in. The experienced players have really helped them accelerate that learning process. I've just really enjoyed the camaraderie of the guys and how quickly they've jelled on the court."
The Lopes' depth is changing with the experience of the transfers, including Baker, Baumann and Harrison combining for 129 career starts before coming to GCU. The team's average height has risen from 6 feet, 5.3 inches last season to 6 feet, 6.3 inches this season.
"We're really comfortable with our roster," Drew said. "Anybody on the court is going to have opportunities to help us. I think we're a lot bigger and longer across the board than we have been in the first two years here."
Landers and Harrison come to GCU with three eligibility years remaining. Landers, a native of Cedarburg, Wisconsin, is an untapped talent with a 6-foot-9 frame and shooting touch despite not devoting himself full-time to basketball until three years ago. Harrison, a 6-foot-4 guard, was the leading scorer for the past two seasons at Presbyterian but already is reveling in a more balanced GCU lineup.Harrison's parents traveled from the family home in Greenville, South Carolina, to Phoenix to experience his first week of GCU basketball, which included a team dinner with NBA Finals viewing.
"They definitely went home knowing I was in good hands," Harrison said. "It's a family environment, which was exactly what I was looking for."
Baker, a Tempe McClintock High School graduate, and Baumann, a Phoenix Desert Vista High School graduate, add more home-grown flavor, shooting ability and high-level experience.
Baker, a 6-foot-4 guard, has two eligibility seasons remaining after being a part-time starter at UNLV last season while Baumann, a versatile 6-foot-6 forward, is a fifth-year senior who has shot 42.6% from 3-point range for his career at San Jose State (freshman and sophomore), USC (junior on an Elite Eight team) and Georgia (last season).
Until Xzavierro arrives, Carr is the lone true freshman on the court and he did his best to be ready for the moment. Since his Las Cruces High School season ended with a run to the state championship game in March, Carr has bulked up his 6-foot-11 frame from 205 pounds to 230 pounds in preparation for workouts with fellow Lopes big men Aidan Igiehon, McGlothan and Ouedraogo, who slimmed 20 pounds."It's fast-paced for sure," Carr said. "You know it's the next level because of how fast it goes. My first two days, I was like, 'I get it, I get it, I think.' I kept messing up, but I kept learning from my mistakes. I'm on Day 4. I'm a freshman. It's not that I need to chill out, but I've got time to learn this stuff.
"I can't wait for that time when I'm in the best shape of my life and then building on top of it."
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