The Grand Canyon women's basketball team bolstered its scoring and rebounding while becoming more experienced with the addition of one graduate transfer – forward Shay Fano, who has 91 career starts after being last season's No. 7 WAC rebounder with 12.2 points and 7.0 boards per game for Utah Valley.
Fano will finish her collegiate career in Phoenix, coming to GCU with one year of eligibility left. She spent the past three seasons at Utah Valley after also starting her freshman year at Southern Utah in 2019-20.
"Shay is a great addition to enhance the depth of our team," Lopes head coach
Molly Miller said. "She is a proven scorer and rebounder in the WAC and loves to compete. Shay is a threat in many ways when she is out on the court and is a strong presence inside but can also play a finesse game from the perimeter while being a threat from three."
"Getting to know her personally these past few weeks reaffirmed that she will be a great asset to our team and bring value to our culture in the pursuit of the winning tradition we continue to build at GCU."
With six double-doubles and 21 double-digit scoring games last season, the 6-foot forward was one of the most reliable players in the WAC at a conference-leading 34 minutes per game. A 40% shooter with just under a 30% mark from 3-point range, Fano also dished out 50 assists and tallied 28 steals last season.
In her three years in Orem, Fano averaged 10.4 points and 6.8 rebounds with 2.0 assists per game and a 40% clip from the field. She also averaged 9.7 points and 5.7 rebounds as a freshman for Southern Utah.
Prior to her collegiate career, Fano attended Timpview High School in Provo, Utah, where she was a two-time
Deseret News first-team all-state selection who averaged 19.6 points and 9.7 rebounds as a senior.
Fano is the Lopes' third signee this month, joining twins Laura (San Diego) and Sydney Erikstrup (Arizona State).