New team debuts at Arena for exhbition game

Wednesday, Nov. 1 \| 7 p.m. \| GCU Arena \| Phoenix, Ariz.

	EMBRY-RIDDLE EAGLES	at	GRAND CANYON LOPES

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Grand Canyon's Wednesday night will start with new championship rings and new GCU Arena banners as rewards for the past and reminders for the future.

With the Lopes toeing a new season's starting line, their 7 p.m. exhibition game against Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) introduces a refurbished roster that has created a buzz about GCU's potential to hit the NCAA tournament finish line again this season.

The next 4 1/2 months will play out how good the Lopes can be, making Wednesday night more of a get-to-know night for GCU fans to watch and a get-ready night for coaches to analyze. On Monday, the Lopes' regular season begins at home against fellow 2023 NCAA tournament qualifier Southeast Missouri.

"I'm looking forward to these guys playing in front of our crowd," Lopes head coach Bryce Drew said. "For some, it'll be their first time playing in front of a crowd like this that is cheering for them. It's great from a coaching standpoint to see them play with a full house and the lights on, to see if they carry over things from practice to game, to see if they take their game up to another level and to see how they respond to the whole great GCU environment."

Aside from two summer exhibitions in the Bahamas, this will be the first public game with a new logo, new court and new uniforms for a Lopes team that returns the 2023 WAC Tournament championship team's top two scorers – junior guard Ray Harrison and graduate power forward Gabe McGlothan.

GCU fans also will see instant-impact newcomers, including the new big-man tandem of burly, rim-rattling Louisville transfer Sydney Curry and relentlessly active Arizona State transfer Duke Brennan.

Junior Collin Moore, Georgia State's points and steals leader last season, is a dogged defender with combo guard skills to team with Harrison in the backcourt. The other wing often will be former Kansas and DePaul player Tyon Grant-Foster, who had health reasons keep him from playing a college basketball game since Nov. 10, 2021.

Phoenix, AZ Oct. 28, 2023: GCU hosts LMU for a scrimmage in their practice facility. Photo David Kadlubowski/GCU "It's been a long time, but I'm ready," said Grant-Foster, a 6-foot-7 guard. "I love my teammates, and the confidence that they give me when we're playing is amazing. It'll be a great day.

"I love the coaches for believing in me. I felt that from the first day I stepped on campus for my visit. I love the way everyone welcomed me, especially my teammates. I feel like it's going to be a great day."

Embry-Riddle is an NAIA program from Prescott, Arizona, with three of its top four scorers back, but the contest will be more about arena game acclimation and rotation examination for the Lopes.

Even with graduate guard Jovan Blacksher Jr. (knee) and senior guard Josh Baker (shoulder) at the tail ends of their surgery rehabilitations, GCU has a wealth of options provided by seven Division I transfers. That includes Oregon graduate Lok Wur, a 6-foot-9 forward who brings positional versatility with length and experience.

"We're pleased with where we are right now," Drew said. "It's not where we want to be. The chemistry we have is really a positive, especially with so many new players. Our execution obviously needs to get better this time of season. We're still figuring our rotations, so it will be good to try some rotations out.

"We're at the point where we need to play other people to get better. We've gotten better in practice and have been pushing forward, but we need to play against different coverages and different systems to be able to continue to grow and develop these guys."

GCU had a more extensive offseason preparation because of the extra practices allotted for its Bahamas trip. That means the Lopes have been together on campus since early June in preparation for moments like tonight's exhibition and Monday's regular-season opener.

The games will come with regularity in November, starting with Southeast Missouri on Monday and Northern Arizona on Nov. 12 at GCU Arena before the Lopes shift to Glendale for Arizona Tip-Off games against San Francisco on Nov. 17 and either DePaul or South Carolina on Nov. 19.

"We finally get to play," Grant-Foster said. "That's really what I'm ready to do. It's a surreal feeling, but I'm ready for it."

Phoenix, AZ Sept. 20, 2023: GCU Men's Basketball intrasquad scrimmage. Photo David Kadlubowski/GCU

Wednesday, Nov. 1 | 7 p.m. | GCU Arena | Phoenix, Ariz.

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Players Mentioned

Josh Baker

Jovan Blacksher Jr.

Duke Brennan

Sydney Curry

Tyon Grant-Foster

Ray Harrison

Gabe McGlothan

Collin Moore

Grand Canyon University Athletics