Completed Event: Women's Basketball at #2 South Carolina on November 3, 2025 , Loss , 54, to, 94
W Basketball
at #2 South Carolina
L 54-94
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Gandy signs 4 in 1st signing class as head coach
11/13/2025 2:54:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Wright, McNealy, Bennett, Schmidt form strong incoming class
On National Signing Day, Head Coach Winston Gandy and Grand Canyon women's basketball announced the signing of four players for the upcoming 2026-27 season.
Lanelle Wright | Guard | Minnetonka, Minn. | Minnetonka High School
Wright joins GCU from the state of Minnesota, where she has helped lead Minnetonka High School to back-to-back state championships and seeking a third this winter. Wright, the No. 76 ranked player in the 2026 SportsCenter NEXT rankings, is the highest rated recruit in program history via national recruiting rankings.
Wright has starred in high school, earning multiple accolades including Adidas All-American twice, Star Tribune All-State and All-Metro team, All-Lake Conference twice, All-State Honorable Mention, and was a McDonald's All-American nominee. Her play caught eyes on the national stage, earning her a USA Team invite.
The 5-9 guard is a 1,000-point scorer and broke the Minnetonka school record for assists with 500 and counting for her career.
Gandy on Wright:
"Lanelle brings innate leadership and playmaking ability, and her work ethic and determination will allow her to quickly become a contributor to our program."
Kaelani "KJ"McNealy | Guard | Knoxville, Tenn. | Farragut High School
McNealy, who goes by the name KJ, hails from Tennessee and has scored over 1,000 points and grabbed over 800 rebounds at Farragut High School. McNealy has earned All-District Regular Season, All-District Tournament, All-Region Tournament, and All-KIL First Team in each of her three seasons in high school. She was named Region Tournament MVP her sophomore year in a season that saw her broke the program's single-game rebounding record with 22 boards.
McNealy notched First Team 5StarPreps her sophomore year and Second Team 5StarPreps last season. She currently has 1,108 points and 864 rebounds.
Gandy on McNealy:
"K.J.'s unique blend of size and skill enables her to create offensive connectivity from multiple positions and areas on the floor. I am excited to welcome her to Grand Canyon next season."
Cora Bennett | Forward | San Antonio, Texas | Kingdom Collegiate Academy
Bennett joins GCU via the state of Texas, where she ranks No. 13 in the state via 2026 Premier Basketball. A forward from Kingdom Collegiate Academy, Bennett has notched 6A First Team All-District twice and was an Honorable Mention All-County selection as a freshman.
Prior to Kingdom Collegiate Academy, Bennett helped Judson High School achieve a top 20 national ranking. Bennett's accolades stem off the court too, holding a 4.0 GPA and ranking in the top 10% (37 of 609) academically in the class and is a member of the National Honor Society.
Gandy on Bennett:
"Cora is a dynamic forward with a tremendous IQ that will allow her to impact the game for us on both ends of the floor. Not only are we excited to have her on our team, but looking forward to having her be a part of the GCU community as well. We can't wait to have her in purple and white next year!"
Yasmeen Schmidt | Guard | San Antonio, Texas | Cornerstone Christian School
Schmidt is the second San Antonio, Texas, native to sign for the Lopes and joins Bennett in the top 25 rankings in the state of Texas via 2026 Premier Basketball at No. 23. A six-foot guard, Schmidt is known for her accurate shooting beyond the three-point arc, breaking the Greater San Antonio single season record for most threes in a season with 142.
Schmidt's ability to score is prevalent, registering 2,760 points in counting over the past three seasons and helped her school win the TCAL State Championship. She was also named to TN Sports Writers Association All State Team in both 2023-24 and 2024-25. In Cornerstone's first game of the 2025-26 high school season, Schmidt scored 32 of the team's 78 points in a season opening win.
Gandy on Schmidt:
"We are happy to add Yasmeen to the Lopes family. She is a high character kid, has a good head on her shoulders, and brings elite level shot making ability. We are excited for Lope nation to see her bring her talents into Global Credit Arena."
Lanelle Wright | Guard | Minnetonka, Minn. | Minnetonka High School
Wright joins GCU from the state of Minnesota, where she has helped lead Minnetonka High School to back-to-back state championships and seeking a third this winter. Wright, the No. 76 ranked player in the 2026 SportsCenter NEXT rankings, is the highest rated recruit in program history via national recruiting rankings.
Wright has starred in high school, earning multiple accolades including Adidas All-American twice, Star Tribune All-State and All-Metro team, All-Lake Conference twice, All-State Honorable Mention, and was a McDonald's All-American nominee. Her play caught eyes on the national stage, earning her a USA Team invite.
The 5-9 guard is a 1,000-point scorer and broke the Minnetonka school record for assists with 500 and counting for her career.
Gandy on Wright:
"Lanelle brings innate leadership and playmaking ability, and her work ethic and determination will allow her to quickly become a contributor to our program."
Kaelani "KJ"McNealy | Guard | Knoxville, Tenn. | Farragut High School
McNealy, who goes by the name KJ, hails from Tennessee and has scored over 1,000 points and grabbed over 800 rebounds at Farragut High School. McNealy has earned All-District Regular Season, All-District Tournament, All-Region Tournament, and All-KIL First Team in each of her three seasons in high school. She was named Region Tournament MVP her sophomore year in a season that saw her broke the program's single-game rebounding record with 22 boards.
McNealy notched First Team 5StarPreps her sophomore year and Second Team 5StarPreps last season. She currently has 1,108 points and 864 rebounds.
Gandy on McNealy:
"K.J.'s unique blend of size and skill enables her to create offensive connectivity from multiple positions and areas on the floor. I am excited to welcome her to Grand Canyon next season."
Cora Bennett | Forward | San Antonio, Texas | Kingdom Collegiate Academy
Bennett joins GCU via the state of Texas, where she ranks No. 13 in the state via 2026 Premier Basketball. A forward from Kingdom Collegiate Academy, Bennett has notched 6A First Team All-District twice and was an Honorable Mention All-County selection as a freshman.
Prior to Kingdom Collegiate Academy, Bennett helped Judson High School achieve a top 20 national ranking. Bennett's accolades stem off the court too, holding a 4.0 GPA and ranking in the top 10% (37 of 609) academically in the class and is a member of the National Honor Society.
Gandy on Bennett:
"Cora is a dynamic forward with a tremendous IQ that will allow her to impact the game for us on both ends of the floor. Not only are we excited to have her on our team, but looking forward to having her be a part of the GCU community as well. We can't wait to have her in purple and white next year!"
Yasmeen Schmidt | Guard | San Antonio, Texas | Cornerstone Christian School
Schmidt is the second San Antonio, Texas, native to sign for the Lopes and joins Bennett in the top 25 rankings in the state of Texas via 2026 Premier Basketball at No. 23. A six-foot guard, Schmidt is known for her accurate shooting beyond the three-point arc, breaking the Greater San Antonio single season record for most threes in a season with 142.
Schmidt's ability to score is prevalent, registering 2,760 points in counting over the past three seasons and helped her school win the TCAL State Championship. She was also named to TN Sports Writers Association All State Team in both 2023-24 and 2024-25. In Cornerstone's first game of the 2025-26 high school season, Schmidt scored 32 of the team's 78 points in a season opening win.
Gandy on Schmidt:
"We are happy to add Yasmeen to the Lopes family. She is a high character kid, has a good head on her shoulders, and brings elite level shot making ability. We are excited for Lope nation to see her bring her talents into Global Credit Arena."
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