Opening Night adds intrigue, emphasis

Monday, November 3

Phoenix, Ariz.

7 p.m.

Grand Canyon

Purdue Fort Wayne

Tickets

Photo by: Jayden Todd

11/2/2025 3:56:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro

GCU Notes PFW Notes GCU Media Guide

GCU nonconference play carries more weight in multi-bid Mountain West

By: Paul Coro

Grand Canyon made four NCAA Tournament appearances in the past five years with one clear path to do so – winning the postseason conference tournament.

That success contributed to GCU's move to the Mountain West, where the Lopes' Big Dance chances are built from the foundation of early November to the icing of mid-March.

As the member of a conference that has sent at least four teams to NCAAs for four consecutive seasons, the Lopes begin building their case Monday night with a 7 p.m. season opener against Purdue Fort Wayne at Global Credit Union Arena.

Henley and Drew

GCU will do so with an all-new starting lineup for the first time in its Division I era (since 2013-14). Sixth-year head coach Bryce Drew and his Lopes staff brought in a seven-man, top-40 transfer portal class, four of which start, and added a fifth starter in Turkish 7-foot-1 center Efe Demirel.

The names and games will be new to many college basketball fans Monday night, along with new ways to watch on over-the-air Arizona's Family Sports and free-streaming Mountain West Network. But the Lopes have been bonding since June and bring experience that lends maturity to the process and commitment to winning at GCU.

"They've been a really fun group to be around," Drew said. "They like each other, so that makes things go smoother from the beginning. They want to be good and they want to win, so they're very coachable. Practices have been enjoyable."

GCU returns rotation regulars and junior guards Caleb Shaw (6.1 points per game) and Makaih Williams (8.2 ppg) from last season's 26-8 team.

Outside of Demirel, the Lopes have an experienced-laden starting unit with senior point guard Jaden Henley (68 starts at Minnesota, DePaul and UNLV), graduate guard Brian Moore Jr. (61 starts at Murray State and Norfolk State, where he was last season's top mid-major player), junior swingman Dusty Stromer (16 starts at Gonzaga) and graduate power forward Nana Owusu-Anane (59 starts at Brown).

"Off the court, it definitely doesn't feel like a new team," Moore said. "We still have some nicks and kinks that we've got to get out playing together. But the best thing is that every guy loves each other and looks out for each other. It's easy to play with people that you like off the court."

GCU prepared for the regular season with a pair of KenPom preseason top-25 opponents, Baylor and USC, in close exhibition losses. The latter was a 67-61 defeat to USC at Global Credit Union Arena, where an overflow crowd gave the Lopes a feel for what it consistently will be like to play in front of "The Biggest Party in College Basketball."

Owusu-Anane, who missed last season for a shoulder injury, pledged GCU would not emerge Monday night like it did with a 16-3 hole against USC. He referenced the postgame locker room's "hurt and frustration" as an indicator that the Lopes will atone in front of the home fans.

Phoenix, AZ Oct. 25, 2025 : The Lopes drop their exhibition game 67-61 against USC at Global Credit Union Arena. David Kadlubowski/GCU

Phoenix, AZ Oct. 25, 2025 : The Lopes drop their exhibition game 67-61 against USC at Global Credit Union Arena. David Kadlubowski/GCU

"We hope the exhibition playing in front of our crowd helped to get that excitement out," Drew said. "Hopefully, we can take a step up in our execution and overall play from the exhibition games.

"We're going to have to really guard the ball. They're really fast with the ball and fast getting downhill. They really spread you and have guys that make shots. It's not a normal opener. This is a good team that we'll have to play well."

Purdue Fort Wayne was picked by Horizon League coaches to finish fifth this season. Grambling State transfer Mikale Stevenson, a 6-foot-2 guard, proved to be one of those downhill scorers with 23 points, 11 rebounds and a dunk on the SportsCenter Top 10 in the Mastodons' 84-70 exhibition win against Ball State.

Stevenson is joined by 6-3 junior guard Cory Hadnot, a returnee named to Preseason All-Horizon second team, and DeAndre Craig, a 6-foot junior guard who averaged 13.5 points for Denver last season.

Purdue Fort Wayne has averaged 20 wins over the past four seasons under 12th-year head coach Jon Coffman. He is the program's winningest coach with a spaced offensive style that has put the Mastodons seventh nationally for made 3-pointers and 10th for 3-point percentage since 2014-15.

Purdue Fort Wayne also has ranked fourth nationally for turnover margin in the past two seasons.

"All of these games are magnified," Moore said. "Every possession is magnified. One possession could be the difference between getting in the tournament and not getting in the tournament. I came here for that, and I know other guys came here to get back to the tournament. It's time to take care of business, game in and game out."

Lope tracks

GCU is 11-1 in home openers during its Division I era with five consecutive wins.
The Lopes are 32-1 at home over the past two seasons.
Purdue Fort Wayne won 71-60 at GCU on Nov. 30, 2019, under its current head coach, Jon Coffman. Drew has a 2-0 record against Hoffman from when Drew was Valparaiso's head coach.
GCU's offseason class of seven incoming transfers was ranked 39th nationally by 247Sports.
Tonight's game also marks the official debut for assistant coaches Matt Lottich, Jordan McCabe and Kam Murrell and chief of staff Derrick Wrobel.
GCU is one of 28 programs with four NCAA Tournament appearances in the past five seasons. The Lopes' 120 wins during that time is tied for 16th most in the nation.