Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball at Baylor on October 10, 2025 at 2 p.m. (MST)
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Grand Canyon University Athletics
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Grant-Foster makes Naismith Award watch list
10/30/2024 10:56:00 AM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro
ESPN's Bilas puts GCU guard on preseason All-America 2nd team
A year ago, the college basketball world needed introductions or reminders for Tyon Grant-Foster, then a Grand Canyon newcomer with 77 career Division I points and a two-year absence from college basketball for a heart ailment.
Grant-Foster starts this season, Grant-Foster is pulsating on hoop radars nationwide after winning WAC Player of the Year and leading GCU to the NCAA tournament round of 32 in March.
Grant-Foster was placed Wednesday on the 50-player Naismith Trophy watch list for that prestigious national player of the year award. This comes after Grant-Foster was announced as one of 20 players on the Jerry West Award watch list for the top shooting guard in the nation.
ESPN analyst went further and placed Grant-Foster on his preseason All-America second team, making the 6-foot-7 graduate guard one of the 10 best players nationally in his assessment.
"The Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year who started his career at Kansas, Grant-Foster is a natural scorer who hung 29 points on Alabama in the NCAA tournament," Bilas wrote on ESPN.com. "Don't be surprised if he leads the nation in scoring."
Last season, Grant-Foster became GCU's first WAC scoring champion since DeWayne Russell in 2016-17. The Kansas City, Kansas, native averaged 20.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 1.5 blocked shots, a statistical line only previously achieved since 2000 by NBA All-Stars Zion Williamson of Duke and Kevin Durant of Texas.
Grant-Foster was named a Luke Olson National Player of the Year finalist with that effort and began this season where he left off last season, with conference coaches tabbing him as WAC Preseason Player of the Year.
"Me and Coach (Bryce) Drew are on the same page a lot better this year because I know what he wants and he knows how I play," Grant-Foster said. "He just wants me to come be a leader every day and just play the right way. I don't have to score 20 points. I don't have to be the main shooter. He just wants me to play the right way.
"That's something I need to do better this year because of all the eyes and I know everybody's going to be watching."
Grant-Foster will miss the first two regular-season games after working his way back from exploring NBA draft early entry. The Lopes open the season next week with home games against Cal State Fullerton on Monday night and Conference USA Tournament champion Western Kentucky on Saturday, Nov. 9.
Grant-Foster starts this season, Grant-Foster is pulsating on hoop radars nationwide after winning WAC Player of the Year and leading GCU to the NCAA tournament round of 32 in March.Grant-Foster was placed Wednesday on the 50-player Naismith Trophy watch list for that prestigious national player of the year award. This comes after Grant-Foster was announced as one of 20 players on the Jerry West Award watch list for the top shooting guard in the nation.
ESPN analyst went further and placed Grant-Foster on his preseason All-America second team, making the 6-foot-7 graduate guard one of the 10 best players nationally in his assessment.
"The Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year who started his career at Kansas, Grant-Foster is a natural scorer who hung 29 points on Alabama in the NCAA tournament," Bilas wrote on ESPN.com. "Don't be surprised if he leads the nation in scoring."
Last season, Grant-Foster became GCU's first WAC scoring champion since DeWayne Russell in 2016-17. The Kansas City, Kansas, native averaged 20.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 1.5 blocked shots, a statistical line only previously achieved since 2000 by NBA All-Stars Zion Williamson of Duke and Kevin Durant of Texas.
Grant-Foster was named a Luke Olson National Player of the Year finalist with that effort and began this season where he left off last season, with conference coaches tabbing him as WAC Preseason Player of the Year.
"Me and Coach (Bryce) Drew are on the same page a lot better this year because I know what he wants and he knows how I play," Grant-Foster said. "He just wants me to come be a leader every day and just play the right way. I don't have to score 20 points. I don't have to be the main shooter. He just wants me to play the right way.
"That's something I need to do better this year because of all the eyes and I know everybody's going to be watching."
Grant-Foster will miss the first two regular-season games after working his way back from exploring NBA draft early entry. The Lopes open the season next week with home games against Cal State Fullerton on Monday night and Conference USA Tournament champion Western Kentucky on Saturday, Nov. 9.
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballMakaih Williams | Media Availability | 9.3.25
Thursday, September 04
Dusty Stromer | Media Availability | 9.3.25
Thursday, September 04
Kaleb Smith | Media Availability | 9.3.25
Thursday, September 04
Non-Conference Schedule Release | Men's Basketball
Monday, August 04