3/21/2024 11:47:00 AM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro
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GCU duo came in 2019 with each enduring knee surgery, earning All-WAC
By: Paul Coro
SPOKANE, Wash. – Jovan Blacksher Jr. and Gabe McGlothan shared an arrival time at Grand Canyon in 2019 and a destination at the NCAA tournament this week.
In between, the Lopes' paths vary but they have a shared legacy as fifth-year leaders who are integral to pursue the program's first NCAA Division I tournament win when it plays Saint Mary's on Friday night.
McGlothan began his GCU time with knee surgery, and Blacksher went through it in 2023. McGlothan/Blacksher in 2019
Blacksher was an instant-impact starter as a freshman while McGlothan made his presence felt as a sixth man the following season.
Now, McGlothan has reached Blacksher's previous 2021-22 All-WAC first-team status while Blacksher plays the role of sixth man because he joined the season in progress after his 11-month absence for knee surgery and rehabilitation.
"It would be big," Blacksher said of winning a tourney game after 2021 and 2023 losses in GCU's first two NCAA D-I tournament appearances. "Me and Gabe have been here for a while now, so to come back and finally get a win here instead of just getting there and being satisfied would stamp us."
The duo of Valley natives is a major part of a 29-4 season, racking up the most wins by GCU since its 1978 NAIA national championship.
McGlothan, one of 15 active Division I players with at least 1,500 career points and 1,000 career rebounds, is averaging a career-high 13.0 points and 1.3 steals this season with career-best 41% 3-point shooting and 75% free throw shooting. He also pulls down 7.3 rebounds per game.
The 6-foot-8 power forward had been hampered in recent games since falling on his hip, but he has continued to be a leadership presence playing with grit and guile. He was limited to a 3.6-point average over the past five games on 7-for-31 shooting, although he began to emerge in the WAC Tournament championship game on Saturday night with eight points, five rebounds and a career-high four steals in 35 minutes.
"In the second (WAC Tournament) game, he got more of a rhythm back," GCU head coach Bryce Drew said. "But he looked way better (in practice this week) than he's looked in this last 2 1/2 weeks. That's really encouraging because we need him to play how he'd been playing before the injury."
McGlothan credits athletic trainer Chris Elliott for "doing wonders" to get him healthy for his final run, one that the Basha High School graduate is enjoying more with Blacksher's coinciding late-season emergence to his former speedy and playmaking ways.
Blacksher, the Shadow Mountain High School graduate, delivered a 14-point, three-assist performance in 21 reserve minutes of the WAC Tournament championship game.
"It's even bigger than that," McGlothan said. "Everyone's like, 'It's good to have Jovan back.' But truly from the perspective I see, I see him growing just way past that.
"The time that he had with a bunch of adversity hitting him, it grew him up a lot as a person. To see him have his success on the court but then also him as a man growing and that all mixing together, we're getting the best Jovan."
Since his breakout 18-point game against Southern Utah on Feb. 10, Blacksher has made 15 of 33 shots from 3-point range (42.4%) over a 10-game stretch. Prior to his January 2023 knee injury, Blacksher averaged 12.8 points and 3.9 assists in starting all 97 of his games.
"When I first came here, I wanted to build a legacy, be legendary here. I think that just solidifies it," Blacksher said of coming back to help an NCAA tournament run.
"I want to go out there with no regrets."
As GCU held the lead for the final 30 minutes of the WAC Tournament championship, UT Arlington continued to push back and made a major second-half push that was slowed by two Blacksher defensive plays. Blacksher dived on the floor for a steal and, less than two minutes later, drew an offensive foul.
After the latter, the usually reserved Blacksher ran up court to give a kneeling Drew a low five on the sideline.
"Those type of moments just get me going because I bring energy and I'm good on defense," Blacksher said. "I like making impactful plays when it's not as noticeable. That was a noticeable play. To go over and do that with Bryce Drew was special."
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The duo of Valley natives is a major part of a 29-4 season, racking up the most wins by GCU since its 1978 NAIA national championship.
Blacksher, the Shadow Mountain High School graduate, delivered a 14-point, three-assist performance in 21 reserve minutes of the WAC Tournament championship game.
