Battle cry: Lopes turn tough with depth, size

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

Photo by: David Kadlubowski

9/27/2023 8:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro

Reinforcements bring tenacity to official practices with Harrison, McGlothan back

By: Paul Coro

There is a different look to Grand Canyon.

It has been all over GCU Basketball Practice Facility in summer workouts and carried over to the new hardwood floor at GCU Arena for the basketball season's first official practice Tuesday.

Yes, the GCU logo is new. It is sharp, but this is a team look.

The nine new faces? They are friendly, but not those individual looks either.

It is the look of a team with the length to swallow up the court and the aggression to leave a mark on it.

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

"It's really cool knowing that you're going to war," Lopes graduate power forward Gabe McGlothan said. "It changes that mindset when you step into a game. It's not just like another night of going out there to play basketball so you can put up some numbers and win. We're going to battle, and everybody has that mindset with aggression and toughness. It's going to look different.

"We're fighting for banners up there. That's our standard, so that's why we're getting tougher and more aggressive."

When the Lopes make an exhibition game debut in five weeks, GCU Arena will feature a banner addition to reflect the second NCAA tournament trip that GCU head coach Bryce Drew has led in three years at the helm.

The Lopes are in a good place to repeat the feat with the return of their top two scorers, senior guard Ray Harrison (also last season's assists leader) and McGlothan (also last season's rebounds leader).

That dynamic duo has been supplemented by three transfers who ended last season starting for other teams – 6-foot-8, 270-pound Sydney Curry (Louisville), 6-foot-9, 210-pound Lok Wur (Oregon) and 6-foot-4, 205-pound Collin Moore (Georgia State).

Curry, a senior, rocks rims and ribs. Wur, a graduate transfer, is growing past his resume with wingspan and wisdom. Moore, a junior, was a leading scorer on the stat sheet but is a defensive disruptor on the ball.

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

"Just the maturity," Drew said of this team's most noticeable characteristic. "We have a lot of guys who have played a lot of college basketball games. So they bring a level of maturity to the floor, which is nice for a coach."

And the Lopes are welcoming back senior point guard Jovan Blacksher Jr., who is on schedule to be playing on Opening Night after knee surgery and rehabilitation for an anterior cruciate ligament tear that ended his season on Jan. 5.

Blacksher notably played with pound-for-pound toughness over four starting seasons at 5 feet 11 and 165 pounds, but the roster around him has transformed with experience approaching his level and size and length that it has not previously boasted.

Curry and 6-10 sophomore center Duke Brennan, a transfer from Arizona State, push each other daily with physicality and intensity that permeates through the team.

"You see a 6-10 guy dive on the floor, it gets everybody excited," McGlothan said of Brennan, one of nine Lopes who played for Phoenix-area high schools. "Just knowing you have that type of grit and toughness on the team, we can all rally around that."

Last season, the Lopes rallied around Harrison's WAC Tournament Most Valuable Player level to reach the Big Dance. To help GCU to four wins in five days in Las Vegas, Harrison became the first Division I player since Kemba Walker to rack up at least 80 points, 20 assists and 20 rebounds in a conference tournament.

Harrison tested the NBA Draft waters for feedback and returned with a straightforward goal.

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

"We want to play at the Final Four here in Phoenix," Harrison said to a group of Valley media after the first official practice Tuesday.

With Blacksher out this summer and guard Josh Baker on the mend until November following offseason shoulder surgery, Harrison has been able to do more of what pro scouts said they need to see from him as a playmaker.

"Ray really worked this summer on his shooting, and he's worked on his point guard skills a lot," Drew said. "We see a much more complete player. We've been impressed with his passing and feel at the point guard. Last year, he was predominantly a scoring guard, and he's really expanded his game, which is going to help our team."

Harrison said he learned from NBA scouts that he is "not far off" and is trying to act as an extension of Drew on the court. He is more comfortable with being vocal, especially as a point guard now, but is ready to slide to off-guard when Blacksher returns.

In practices, Harrison shows confidence, leadership and positional growth by deferring offense to teammates.

"They've all seen what I can do," said Harrison, who averaged 17.8 points per game last season. "I feel like my job isn't to prove to my teammates that I can score in practice. When the games come around, I need their confidence to be in a place that can help me and help us all come together and win. I'm just trying to make sure everybody's clicking on the same page."

Harrison's maturity reflects a new team persona. Even a player with major upside like Lopes senior guard Tyon Grant-Foster brings maturity as he re-engages with the game that he missed for two years because of a health situation. He was pegged to be DePaul's top player in 2021-22, but the 6-foot-7 Kansan's season ended after one game.

There is youth as well, with 7-foot freshman Noah Amenhauser, redshirt freshman shooting guard Malcolm Flaggs (also an ASU transfer) and freshman point guard Marquese Josephs coming aboard, as well as redshirt freshman Derrick Michael Xzavierro returning with weight and strength restored after last season's collapsed lung and ensuing five-week hospitalization.

Sophomore guard Caleb Shaw, a top scorer this summer, transferred from Northern Colorado to join his brother, redshirt freshman Isaiah, and their father, assistant coach Casey Shaw, at GCU.

"The excitement's definitely at a high level, especially within our program," Drew said. "How we ended last year, the pieces that we added, Jovan coming back off injury. These guys are already ready to play games, but our job is to get them more ready and more prepared and more together for Opening Night."