Grand Canyon University Athletics
Photo by: David Kadlubowski
GCU basketball turns mad at midnight
10/4/2025 1:01:00 AM | Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball, Havocs
Havocs fill festive arena to signal start of Lopes hoops seasons
When the clock struck midnight, the character of Grand Canyon basketball was revealed in the madness of the dark.
A cast of hoopin' and hoppin' characters ushered in GCU's Mountain West era with Midnight Madness, an annual basketball season launch party that had the Havocs dressed as their favorite characters throughout Global Credit Union Arena.
The GCU students who camped overnight on the Quad lawn outside the arena were rewarded late Friday and early Saturday for their diligence and delirium about Lopes basketball.
"The Biggest Party in College Basketball" will set 2025-26 off in three weeks when USC plays an exhibition game at GCU in men's basketball, but the party began when the arena turned into a bounce house for two hours.
"We are 'The Biggest Party in College Basketball,' and if you're new here, now you know the reason why," Lopes sixth-year men's basketball head coach Bryce Drew said to the arena crowd. "And not only are we the biggest party, but tonight we are the biggest show in college basketball."
The anticipation had a line of students circling the Quad, past the Lope Shop, down the side of Prescott Field and past GCU Stadium. Fireworks ignited the event, prompting the Havocs to sing "The Star-Spangled Banner" before they charged into the arena to fill the lower bowls and flow into the rafters.
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The music turned Global Credit Union Arena into the liveliest Friday night club in the Valley with "loud environment" warnings flashing on devices.
"People tried to tell me what it was going to be like tonight, how many people were going to show up," Lopes first-year women's basketball head coach Winston Gandy said of Midnight Madness. "People were showing me some pictures. I even walked the concourse trying to visualize what it was going to be like. This is special."
The familiar vibes of "Tremor' shook the arena like the "Purple Pregame Party" sets the tone of each home tipoff. The songs led up to a midnight countdown and a giant curtain covering the arena's south end to display videos.
GCU Cheer, GCU Drumline and GCU Dancers performed until the introductions of the basketball teams. Each players descended on the stairwell amid the Havocs with dances, flexes and blown kisses.
"I'm excited to be here," Mann told the crowd. "I want you all to come support us."
The players and Havocs participated in contests to win prizes for sections with 7-foot redshirt freshman Dennis Evans earning his first name chants of the season and players Makaih Williams, Julianna  LaMendola and Sidney Anderson putting on Havocs shirts over their jerseys.
"I appreciate all of you," GCU graduate power forward Nana Owusu-Anane told the crowd. "We've got the best student section in the country. Wow! We look forward to a season full of blessings and a lot of wins. Hopefully, we can bring a banner here."
The players erupted in joy just as the Havocs had all night when their head coaches were introduced.
The curtain dropped to the floor, revealing a Lightning McQueen-model car with Drew and Gandy emerging from it in racing jackets and sunglasses.
"This year, it's a lot of new," Gandy said. "New team. New staff. New season. New conference. Quite frankly, a new level. A new standard we're going to try to achieve here.
"My hope, when I look out here and what we all see and what we all feel, is that when the opponents come to the Valley this upcoming season, they get a little taste of this," Gandy said.
The night was an ideal introduction for Havocs and the teams. The GCU men have 11 new players, while the Lopes women brought in 14 new players.
Drew told the crowd about how he arrived at GCU in 2020 when GCU President Brian Mueller and Vice President of Athletics Jamie Boggs laid out a vision to make the university and its athletic program nationally known.
"That vision is coming true, and a big reason is because of everyone in the building now and everybody that's been here in the past to help us," Drew said.
"We've got a big mountain to climb this year. We've got South Mountain here. We've got Camelback Mountain. There's a mountain on the west called Mountain West Conference. People on that mountain think that we're not going to be at the top. People on that mountain think that are Havocs are not on the top. So when everyone from that mountain that comes in this building, we want them to leave with no doubt who's going to be on top of that mountain this year and for years to come. And that's going to be GCU and the Havocs."
The GCU men will debut at home with an exhibition game against USC on Oct. 25 at Global Credit Union Arena, although they will first play an exhibition game at Baylor on Oct. 10. The Lopes women will open the regular season at home against Idaho State on Nov. 8.
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A cast of hoopin' and hoppin' characters ushered in GCU's Mountain West era with Midnight Madness, an annual basketball season launch party that had the Havocs dressed as their favorite characters throughout Global Credit Union Arena.
The GCU students who camped overnight on the Quad lawn outside the arena were rewarded late Friday and early Saturday for their diligence and delirium about Lopes basketball.
"The Biggest Party in College Basketball" will set 2025-26 off in three weeks when USC plays an exhibition game at GCU in men's basketball, but the party began when the arena turned into a bounce house for two hours."We are 'The Biggest Party in College Basketball,' and if you're new here, now you know the reason why," Lopes sixth-year men's basketball head coach Bryce Drew said to the arena crowd. "And not only are we the biggest party, but tonight we are the biggest show in college basketball."
The anticipation had a line of students circling the Quad, past the Lope Shop, down the side of Prescott Field and past GCU Stadium. Fireworks ignited the event, prompting the Havocs to sing "The Star-Spangled Banner" before they charged into the arena to fill the lower bowls and flow into the rafters.
Â
The music turned Global Credit Union Arena into the liveliest Friday night club in the Valley with "loud environment" warnings flashing on devices.
"People tried to tell me what it was going to be like tonight, how many people were going to show up," Lopes first-year women's basketball head coach Winston Gandy said of Midnight Madness. "People were showing me some pictures. I even walked the concourse trying to visualize what it was going to be like. This is special."The familiar vibes of "Tremor' shook the arena like the "Purple Pregame Party" sets the tone of each home tipoff. The songs led up to a midnight countdown and a giant curtain covering the arena's south end to display videos.
GCU Cheer, GCU Drumline and GCU Dancers performed until the introductions of the basketball teams. Each players descended on the stairwell amid the Havocs with dances, flexes and blown kisses.
"I'm excited to be here," Mann told the crowd. "I want you all to come support us."The players and Havocs participated in contests to win prizes for sections with 7-foot redshirt freshman Dennis Evans earning his first name chants of the season and players Makaih Williams, Julianna  LaMendola and Sidney Anderson putting on Havocs shirts over their jerseys.
"I appreciate all of you," GCU graduate power forward Nana Owusu-Anane told the crowd. "We've got the best student section in the country. Wow! We look forward to a season full of blessings and a lot of wins. Hopefully, we can bring a banner here."
The players erupted in joy just as the Havocs had all night when their head coaches were introduced.
The curtain dropped to the floor, revealing a Lightning McQueen-model car with Drew and Gandy emerging from it in racing jackets and sunglasses.
"This year, it's a lot of new," Gandy said. "New team. New staff. New season. New conference. Quite frankly, a new level. A new standard we're going to try to achieve here."My hope, when I look out here and what we all see and what we all feel, is that when the opponents come to the Valley this upcoming season, they get a little taste of this," Gandy said.
The night was an ideal introduction for Havocs and the teams. The GCU men have 11 new players, while the Lopes women brought in 14 new players.
Drew told the crowd about how he arrived at GCU in 2020 when GCU President Brian Mueller and Vice President of Athletics Jamie Boggs laid out a vision to make the university and its athletic program nationally known.
"That vision is coming true, and a big reason is because of everyone in the building now and everybody that's been here in the past to help us," Drew said."We've got a big mountain to climb this year. We've got South Mountain here. We've got Camelback Mountain. There's a mountain on the west called Mountain West Conference. People on that mountain think that we're not going to be at the top. People on that mountain think that are Havocs are not on the top. So when everyone from that mountain that comes in this building, we want them to leave with no doubt who's going to be on top of that mountain this year and for years to come. And that's going to be GCU and the Havocs."
The GCU men will debut at home with an exhibition game against USC on Oct. 25 at Global Credit Union Arena, although they will first play an exhibition game at Baylor on Oct. 10. The Lopes women will open the regular season at home against Idaho State on Nov. 8.
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Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Basketball
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