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
Colangelo Classic puts Lopes in Suns arena again
6/21/2023 10:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro
GCU faces Portland in downtown Phoenix quadruple-header on Dec. 16
If Grand Canyon has a home away from home, it must be downtown Phoenix's Footprint Center each December for the pairing of honoring GCU senior advisor and hometown icon Jerry Colangelo with a quality Lopes matchup.
GCU will take part in its fifth consecutive Jerry Colangelo Classic by playing Portland on Dec. 16 as part of a quadruple-header at the Phoenix Suns' arena. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame event's other matchups that day will be Washington State-Santa Clara, UNLV-Saint Mary's and UC Santa Barbara-Loyola Marymount.
"Any time we get the chance to go downtown and play a game at Footprint Center, it is an exciting opportunity for our program," Lopes head coach Bryce Drew said. "Additionally, to continue our history of competing in this event with Mr. Colangelo's name on it is an honor. He's made such an impact on our program and university in lending his wisdom and experience. We're excited to match up against the University of Portland and have great respect for Coach (Shantay) Legans and his program. We can't wait for December and to bring Lope Nation downtown with us for the day."
The
event honors Colangelo, who remains the Hall of Fame's Board of Governors chairman, in the building where he led the 1992 move of the Suns as the franchise's managing partner. The opening of the arena revitalized downtown and Colangelo added the Arizona Diamondbacks to the landscape six years later.
With Colangelo's name attached to GCU's College of Business, he has been integral to the university's tremendous growth and the rapid ascension of Lopes basketball. GCU reached the NCAA tournament in two of the past three seasons and has built a following that creates a collegiate atmosphere annually at Footprint Center.
"Each year, we look forward to returning to Phoenix for an exciting holiday season showcase that honors Jerry Colangelo's work in basketball and his impact on the Valley's sports community," Hall of Fame President and CEO John L. Doleva said. "We are excited to welcome these teams and their fans to the Footprint Center for what is sure to be a thrilling day of basketball."
GCU faces a West Coast Conference opponent for the fourth consecutive season after playing six games against WCC teams in the previous three seasons.
Entering its third year under Legans, Portland returns leading scorer Tyler Robertson after the 6-foot-6 guard averaged 16.1 points and 5.6 rebounds last season. He teamed with 6-foot-4 guard Chris Austin on the 19-win Pilots team in 2021-22 before Austin suffered a late-season leg injury that required surgery and caused him to miss last season. Austin averaged 14.4 points per game for Portland after being Fordham's team Most Valuable Player.
The Pilots added frontline help through the transfer portal with 6-foot-8 Thomas Oosterbroek (Miami), 6-foot-8 Alimany Koroma (Cal Poly) and 6-foot-10 Yuto Yamanouchi-Williams (Lamar) with another guard, 6-foot-5 Vukasin Masic, coming from Maine last year and redshirting the season. Legans, who took Eastern Washington to the 2021 NCAA tournament, carries eight international players on Portland's roster.
The game will mark the sixth time in the past seven years that GCU has played at the Suns arena in the city where eight of the Lopes played high school basketball.
"Whenever you get to play in a huge arena, whether it this or for me at state (high school championship) in the old Suns arena, it's just awesome," said GCU sophomore guard Caleb Shaw, a Valley Christian High School graduate from Phoenix. "It's like a dream come true. You feel like a pro. It's breathtaking almost, even how many seats are in there. It's a really cool experience."
Tickets will go on sale for the Colangelo Classic in July. Game times and broadcast information will be announced at a later date.
GCU will take part in its fifth consecutive Jerry Colangelo Classic by playing Portland on Dec. 16 as part of a quadruple-header at the Phoenix Suns' arena. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame event's other matchups that day will be Washington State-Santa Clara, UNLV-Saint Mary's and UC Santa Barbara-Loyola Marymount."Any time we get the chance to go downtown and play a game at Footprint Center, it is an exciting opportunity for our program," Lopes head coach Bryce Drew said. "Additionally, to continue our history of competing in this event with Mr. Colangelo's name on it is an honor. He's made such an impact on our program and university in lending his wisdom and experience. We're excited to match up against the University of Portland and have great respect for Coach (Shantay) Legans and his program. We can't wait for December and to bring Lope Nation downtown with us for the day."
The
event honors Colangelo, who remains the Hall of Fame's Board of Governors chairman, in the building where he led the 1992 move of the Suns as the franchise's managing partner. The opening of the arena revitalized downtown and Colangelo added the Arizona Diamondbacks to the landscape six years later.With Colangelo's name attached to GCU's College of Business, he has been integral to the university's tremendous growth and the rapid ascension of Lopes basketball. GCU reached the NCAA tournament in two of the past three seasons and has built a following that creates a collegiate atmosphere annually at Footprint Center.
"Each year, we look forward to returning to Phoenix for an exciting holiday season showcase that honors Jerry Colangelo's work in basketball and his impact on the Valley's sports community," Hall of Fame President and CEO John L. Doleva said. "We are excited to welcome these teams and their fans to the Footprint Center for what is sure to be a thrilling day of basketball."
GCU faces a West Coast Conference opponent for the fourth consecutive season after playing six games against WCC teams in the previous three seasons.
Entering its third year under Legans, Portland returns leading scorer Tyler Robertson after the 6-foot-6 guard averaged 16.1 points and 5.6 rebounds last season. He teamed with 6-foot-4 guard Chris Austin on the 19-win Pilots team in 2021-22 before Austin suffered a late-season leg injury that required surgery and caused him to miss last season. Austin averaged 14.4 points per game for Portland after being Fordham's team Most Valuable Player.
The Pilots added frontline help through the transfer portal with 6-foot-8 Thomas Oosterbroek (Miami), 6-foot-8 Alimany Koroma (Cal Poly) and 6-foot-10 Yuto Yamanouchi-Williams (Lamar) with another guard, 6-foot-5 Vukasin Masic, coming from Maine last year and redshirting the season. Legans, who took Eastern Washington to the 2021 NCAA tournament, carries eight international players on Portland's roster.
The game will mark the sixth time in the past seven years that GCU has played at the Suns arena in the city where eight of the Lopes played high school basketball.
"Whenever you get to play in a huge arena, whether it this or for me at state (high school championship) in the old Suns arena, it's just awesome," said GCU sophomore guard Caleb Shaw, a Valley Christian High School graduate from Phoenix. "It's like a dream come true. You feel like a pro. It's breathtaking almost, even how many seats are in there. It's a really cool experience."
Tickets will go on sale for the Colangelo Classic in July. Game times and broadcast information will be announced at a later date.
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballGCU Men's Basketball vs. Fresno State - Postgame Radio with Bryce Drew
Wednesday, March 11
GCU Men's Basketball vs. Fresno State - Postgame Radio with Brian Moore Jr.
Wednesday, March 11
What's Ahead for the Mountain West Tournament?
Monday, March 09
GCU Men's Basketball vs. Fresno State - Postgame with Dusty Stromer, Brian Moore Jr.
Sunday, March 08