5 takeaways: Opening win shows can-do abilities

Double-digit victories are never a ho-hum result, but Grand Canyon basketball makes them seem as regular as full houses at Global Credit Union Arena.

The Lopes never lost a home game last season, when they won most of their games by double digits. Despite this season's first home test this season providing the challenge of going without starters Duke Brennan and Tyon Grant-Foster, GCU added another comfortable victory Monday night with a 89-79 win against Cal State Fullerton that provided encouraging revelations.

Five can-do takeaways from the season opener:

1. JaKobe Coles can ball

There is no news flash there for the GCU program, which has seen senior forward JaKobe Coles' wide-ranking skills in the gym since June, or TCU fans, who watched him perform for three NCAA tournament teams.

But the 6-foot-8 forward also never had the canvas to show his skills that Monday's game provided, and he delivered career bests of 26 points and 13 rebounds.

Of the Lopes' nine-man rotation, only Ray Harrison, Collin Moore and Lök Wur played on GCU's team last season. The Lopes needed to lean on experience with Brennan and Grant-Foster out, and only Harrison has played more college games than Coles.

Coles showed off his guile for the game with a wide-ranging repertoire that carried the night in tandem with Harrison.

On offense, Coles raced in front on transition and finished with reverses, hit turnaround jumpers against taller defenders, showed 3-point range, used his body to finish inside or draw airborne fouls, passed out of the post and made tricky moves with pump-fake and stutter-step drives.

On defense, Coles showed a knack for reading misses' caroms for rebounds, anticipating passes for deflections that started GCU fastbreaks, getting a block on help defense and starting transition by being a rebounder who also can dribble the ball upcourt.

2. Lopes can go small

In Brennan's absence, GCU started smaller Monday with sophomore Makaih Williams giving the Lopes a three-guard look. The Lopes even went smaller at times in both halves with sophomore guard Caleb Shaw playing the power forward spot at 6 feet 6.

GCU grabbed 16 offensive rebounds Monday with half of those coming from guards, who embraced the Lopes' gang-rebounding approach.

Williams stepping into a starter role helped GCU in many areas and is no step up in role for him. He started the last 30 games of last season as a UT Arlington freshman and showed his willingness to be more than a shooter Monday night. He kept a possession alive with a one-handed, out-of-bounds save and got clobbered jumping between two Titans for a loose ball.

It also helps that GCU has a guard in Harrison who can also score out of the block, getting position with his strong frame and fading away with a feathery touch.

3. Free throws can carry over

Part of GCU's DNA last season was its ability to get to the free throw line, where it scored 19.3 points per game to rank third nationally.

That quality appears to be intact. GCU scored 23 points at the line in a foul-filled opener Monday night, making 72% of its free throws with Harrison's reliable stroke knocking down 10 of 10 tries.

The Lopes did so without Grant-Foster, who drew the sixth-most free throw attempts in the nation last season. They will have to do so one more time before Grant-Foster returns to action Nov. 14 against Arizona State at Footprint Center.

Williams made up for some of that with his quickness, dribble drives and airborne body control.

4. Phipps can help

GCU's talented rotation can be difficult for a freshman to enter with impact, but a trio of touted Lopes freshmen got their chances in the mix Monday night.

Austin Maurer, a 7-foot center, and Sammie Yeanay, a 6-foot-8 forward, each helped a shorthanded frontcourt, but Lopes point guard Styles Phipps received the most run of the freshmen.

Phipps was part of the main seven-man rotation, logging 17 minutes in his first official basketball game since St. Mary's High School was knocked out of the Arizona high school playoffs in February.

The 6-foot-2 point guard created his first Lopes highlight when he split two Titans defenders with a Eurostep crossover and finished with his left hand.

He guarded well in one-on-one defensive situations, showed a rebounding knack and willingness and hit sought gaps, although he will read those situations better with earlier, easier passes.

5. GCU can play better

Coaches always enjoy getting material on video for the players. The Lopes' opener, in addition to two exhibition games, gave them that help for Saturday's test against Western Kentucky.

Since Brennan's injury, the Lopes changed their ways and personnel groups and will be better equipped to play that way Saturday against a better, more experienced opponent.

GCU will reduce turnovers (17) and fouls (26) from just playing under better control and not being put on their heels in transition defense. Mostly, GCU head coach Bryce Drew saw a team defending with its hands too much instead of staying with defenders by foot.

Getting Grant-Foster and Brennan back eventually guarantees improvement, but GCU was not far from blowing the game open Monday night. The Lopes led by 20 points with six minutes to go, and the Havocs might have taken the will out of Cal State Fullerton had Wur's breakaway dunk try converted off his steal.

"The last three days, we tried to recreate how we play and practiced a bunch of different lineups that we haven't really played much this year. I'm just really proud of all nine guys. I thought they really came out to compete and played with a lot of energy throughout."

Grand Canyon University Athletics

1. JaKobe Coles can ball

2. Lopes can go small

3. Free throws can carry over

4. Phipps can help

5. GCU can play better

Players Mentioned

Duke Brennan

JaKobe Coles

Tyon Grant-Foster

Ray Harrison

Austin Maurer

Collin Moore

Styles Phipps

Caleb Shaw

Makaih Williams

Lök Wur

Sammie Yeanay

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