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Grand Canyon University Athletics
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Grant-Foster rises to win WAC Player of the Year
3/11/2024 3:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro
McGlothan, Harrison also make All-WAC teams; Moore earns defensive honors
Tyon Grant-Foster made a one-of-a-kind comeback from two heart surgeries and a two-year layoff to have a one-of-a-kind season for Grand Canyon.
Fittingly, Grant-Foster was deemed one of one in the conference. The senior guard was named WAC Player of the Year, becoming the first Lope to win the honor after Grant-Foster also became GCU's first WAC scoring champion since DeWayne Russell in 2016-17.
Grant-Foster and graduate power forward Gabe McGlothan form the third GCU duo to make All-WAC first team together, following Alessandro Lever and Asbjorn Midtgaard in 2020-21 and Joshua Braun and Russell in 2016-17.
Also leading the 27-4 WAC regular-season champions, Lopes junior guard Ray Harrison was honored on the All-WAC second team to put three GCU players on All-WAC teams for the second time. Current Lopes point guard Jovan Blacksher Jr. was a second-team pick when Lever and Midtgaard were on first team in 2020-21.
GCU junior guard Collin Moore rounded out the Lopes' conference hardware with a spot on the WAC's All-Defensive Team.
Grant-Foster is arguably the most inspirational story in college basketball this season. The Kansas City, Kansas, native played 8.1 minutes per game for Kansas as a junior college transfer in 2020-21 before transferring to DePaul, where he collapsed in the halftime locker room during his Blue Demons debut.
Grant-Foster's heart was repeatedly shocked into rhythm at the arena and en route to the hospital on Nov. 10, 2021. Five days later, he was told he would not play basketball again because of scarring on his heart that required two surgeries. He went more than 16 months without playing basketball before a Mayo Clinic doctor cleared him to resume training. GCU was one of the few programs to express interest and the only campus that he visited.
Ever since a stunning 30-point debut in the Nov. 6 season opener, Grant-Foster has been the Lopes' most consistent scoring threat with an ability to make shots at three levels and draw fouls to rank 17th nationally for free throws made (175).
Grant-Foster is averaging a WAC-best 19.4 points per game, along with 5.9 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 1.4 blocked shots per game. No other Division I player with at least 20 games has averaged those numbers for four seasons, dating back to when Duke's Zion Williamson and CSU Northridge's Lamine Diane did it in 2018-19.
"After two years off, it is remarkable what Tyon has done," GCU head coach Bryce Drew said. "He has been one of the best scorers in the country."
The 6-foot-7 guard had played one half since 2020-21 until this season, when he has scored in double figures in 28 of 30 games by shooting 45% from the field, 33% from the 3-point line and 79% from the free throw line.
Grant-Foster's previous career high was 13 points, set in December of 2021 for Kansas. He has exceeded that 26 times for GCU without fouling out. His game progressed throughout the season to become a better defender, rebounder and passer. That shows in his three double-doubles, three five-assist games and six three-block games.
GCU closed out its first outright WAC regular-season championship with Grant-Foster finishing strongly. Over the past five games, he averaged 22.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.0 steals with 55% shooting from the field. He is on a streak of 22 consecutive made free throws, including 20 in two wins last week.
McGlothan and Harrison are repeat All-WAC honorees but flipped the honors this season with McGlothan receiving his first honor as a first-teamer.
The 6-foot-7 power forward, who went to crosstown Basha High School, is one of 15 active D-I players in the nation with at least 1,500 career points and 1,000 career rebounds.
This has been a career season for McGlothan, who transferred to GCU in 2019. He has posted career-best averages in points per game (13.5), 3-point shooting (42%), free throw shooting (76%), steals per game (1.1) and blocked shots per game (0.9).
With 7.3 rebounds this season, McGlothan added five double-doubles for a career total of 21 that ranks in the national top 50 among active D-I players.
"Gabe has been a warrior for us doing whatever each game calls for, whether it is rebounding, scoring or leading," Drew said.
Harrison earned one of the 10 All-WAC spots by deftly handling a role change in his fourth collegiate season.
In garnering second-team honors, the 6-foot-4 guard showed more playmaking while maintaining his scoring ability alongside Grant-Foster and McGlothan, who combined for 33 points per game this season.
The Greenville, South Carolina, averaged 13.5 points in his second GCU season while delivering a career-high 3.9 assists per game and showing ball care with a career-low 2.1 turnovers per game. At 16.4 points per game, Harrison's career average ranks 21st nationally among active D-I players.
"Ray has been our quarterback all year and sacrificed his scoring this season to help run our offense and make the right play for our team," Drew said.
"Really happy for the year Tyon, Gabe and Ray have had so far," Drew said. "I believe any of the three could have been Player of the Year."
Moore, another 6-foot-4 junior guard, became the fourth Lope to receive conference honors with his spot on the All-Defensive Team. The GCU newcomers from North Little Rock, Arkansas, quickly became known for his dogged on-ball defense that is enhanced by his 7-foot wingspan.
Coming off three Georgia State seasons that were limited by injuries, Moore started all 31 games for the Lopes and matched his career high with 2.9 steals per game, while also averaging 0.9 blocked shots. He is the first GCU player to earn one of the conference's five All-Defensive Team spots since Midtgaard in 2020-21.
GCU is the No. 1 seed at this week's WAC Tournament in Las Vegas, where it will play a Friday 6 p.m. semifinal against the Thursday winner between No. 4 seed Seattle U and the Utah Valley-California Baptist winner in a Wednesday first-round game.
Fittingly, Grant-Foster was deemed one of one in the conference. The senior guard was named WAC Player of the Year, becoming the first Lope to win the honor after Grant-Foster also became GCU's first WAC scoring champion since DeWayne Russell in 2016-17.
Grant-Foster and graduate power forward Gabe McGlothan form the third GCU duo to make All-WAC first team together, following Alessandro Lever and Asbjorn Midtgaard in 2020-21 and Joshua Braun and Russell in 2016-17.
Also leading the 27-4 WAC regular-season champions, Lopes junior guard Ray Harrison was honored on the All-WAC second team to put three GCU players on All-WAC teams for the second time. Current Lopes point guard Jovan Blacksher Jr. was a second-team pick when Lever and Midtgaard were on first team in 2020-21.
GCU junior guard Collin Moore rounded out the Lopes' conference hardware with a spot on the WAC's All-Defensive Team.
Grant-Foster is arguably the most inspirational story in college basketball this season. The Kansas City, Kansas, native played 8.1 minutes per game for Kansas as a junior college transfer in 2020-21 before transferring to DePaul, where he collapsed in the halftime locker room during his Blue Demons debut.Grant-Foster's heart was repeatedly shocked into rhythm at the arena and en route to the hospital on Nov. 10, 2021. Five days later, he was told he would not play basketball again because of scarring on his heart that required two surgeries. He went more than 16 months without playing basketball before a Mayo Clinic doctor cleared him to resume training. GCU was one of the few programs to express interest and the only campus that he visited.
Ever since a stunning 30-point debut in the Nov. 6 season opener, Grant-Foster has been the Lopes' most consistent scoring threat with an ability to make shots at three levels and draw fouls to rank 17th nationally for free throws made (175).
Grant-Foster is averaging a WAC-best 19.4 points per game, along with 5.9 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 1.4 blocked shots per game. No other Division I player with at least 20 games has averaged those numbers for four seasons, dating back to when Duke's Zion Williamson and CSU Northridge's Lamine Diane did it in 2018-19."After two years off, it is remarkable what Tyon has done," GCU head coach Bryce Drew said. "He has been one of the best scorers in the country."
The 6-foot-7 guard had played one half since 2020-21 until this season, when he has scored in double figures in 28 of 30 games by shooting 45% from the field, 33% from the 3-point line and 79% from the free throw line.
Grant-Foster's previous career high was 13 points, set in December of 2021 for Kansas. He has exceeded that 26 times for GCU without fouling out. His game progressed throughout the season to become a better defender, rebounder and passer. That shows in his three double-doubles, three five-assist games and six three-block games.
GCU closed out its first outright WAC regular-season championship with Grant-Foster finishing strongly. Over the past five games, he averaged 22.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.0 steals with 55% shooting from the field. He is on a streak of 22 consecutive made free throws, including 20 in two wins last week.
McGlothan and Harrison are repeat All-WAC honorees but flipped the honors this season with McGlothan receiving his first honor as a first-teamer.The 6-foot-7 power forward, who went to crosstown Basha High School, is one of 15 active D-I players in the nation with at least 1,500 career points and 1,000 career rebounds.
This has been a career season for McGlothan, who transferred to GCU in 2019. He has posted career-best averages in points per game (13.5), 3-point shooting (42%), free throw shooting (76%), steals per game (1.1) and blocked shots per game (0.9).
With 7.3 rebounds this season, McGlothan added five double-doubles for a career total of 21 that ranks in the national top 50 among active D-I players.
"Gabe has been a warrior for us doing whatever each game calls for, whether it is rebounding, scoring or leading," Drew said.
Harrison earned one of the 10 All-WAC spots by deftly handling a role change in his fourth collegiate season.In garnering second-team honors, the 6-foot-4 guard showed more playmaking while maintaining his scoring ability alongside Grant-Foster and McGlothan, who combined for 33 points per game this season.
The Greenville, South Carolina, averaged 13.5 points in his second GCU season while delivering a career-high 3.9 assists per game and showing ball care with a career-low 2.1 turnovers per game. At 16.4 points per game, Harrison's career average ranks 21st nationally among active D-I players.
"Ray has been our quarterback all year and sacrificed his scoring this season to help run our offense and make the right play for our team," Drew said.
"Really happy for the year Tyon, Gabe and Ray have had so far," Drew said. "I believe any of the three could have been Player of the Year."
Moore, another 6-foot-4 junior guard, became the fourth Lope to receive conference honors with his spot on the All-Defensive Team. The GCU newcomers from North Little Rock, Arkansas, quickly became known for his dogged on-ball defense that is enhanced by his 7-foot wingspan.Coming off three Georgia State seasons that were limited by injuries, Moore started all 31 games for the Lopes and matched his career high with 2.9 steals per game, while also averaging 0.9 blocked shots. He is the first GCU player to earn one of the conference's five All-Defensive Team spots since Midtgaard in 2020-21.
GCU is the No. 1 seed at this week's WAC Tournament in Las Vegas, where it will play a Friday 6 p.m. semifinal against the Thursday winner between No. 4 seed Seattle U and the Utah Valley-California Baptist winner in a Wednesday first-round game.
🏆 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭, 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐬. 🏆 pic.twitter.com/Gifn4O8HOY
— Grand Canyon Men's Basketball (@GCU_MBB) March 11, 2024
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