Completed Event: Women's Basketball versus San Diego State on February 4, 2026 , Win , 57, to, 44
W Basketball
vs San Diego State
W 57-44
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Photo by: Jayden Todd
Recruiting moves to forefront of Gandy's busy time
3/28/2025 9:15:00 AM | Women's Basketball, Paul Coro
New GCU head coach starts work on roster as South Carolina defends title
As Winston Gandy finishes the job of helping South Carolina defend its national championship, he starts the job of leveling up Grand Canyon.
The new Lopes women's basketball head coach is managing the workload of a web server this week, handling scout preparation on Maryland as a South Carolina assistant coach entering Friday's Sweet 16 game while formulating a GCU roster in his first days on the job to build a GCU roster following a season with a nine-senior playing rotation.
Gandy, enabled with premier contacts from working on coaching staffs at Maryland, Rice, Duke and South Carolina, would not have taken the Lopes' top job if he did not see a place where he could recruit next-level talent.
"The vision and challenge first starts in recruiting," Gandy said. "The exposure piece starts with scheduling. You've got to schedule prominent opponents to get your brand out there and get the exposure. You've got to start getting top-100 kids. That's how the ball starts rolling. That's what I'm looking forward to.
"I think Grand Canyon obviously provides just about everything a student-athlete could want from a university standpoint, from an athletic standpoint. You've got two people in President (Brian) Mueller and Vice President of Athletics Jamie (Boggs) that are passionate about it. You don't find that very often."
Gandy repeatedly has seen how to formulate a winning roster, serving South Carolina, Duke, Rice and Maryland teams with a cumulative record of 226-53 (.810).
The transfer portal necessitates Gandy's Gamecock-Lope work balance during the NCAA tournament's final two weeks. Between GCU's upcoming move to the Mountain West Conference and the portal opening a day after his hiring announcement at GCU, Gandy has a chance to quickly reconstruct a competitive team in recruiting.
"The game is becoming more and more versatile," Gandy said. "Those are some of the players that we're going to go after – players that can do more than one thing. I don't think, in today's game, you can just be good at one thing and be successful. With some of the opponents that we hope to go against as we try to push toward that national prominence, you're going to have to get players and attract players that want to do both. What I'm most excited about here is that Grand Canyon allows you to be a star on and off the floor."
Mueller said GCU is positioned well to attract a coach like Gandy and the talent he seeks because of the resources that basketball can have in an athletic program without football. Becoming a member of the Mountain West elevates that more, opening doors to a higher level of players.
The Lopes also discovered how Gandy's relentless work ethic paired with his charismatic character to make him a prominent recruiter.
"He's recruited the very best players in the country for seven or eight years, between Duke and between South Carolina," Mueller said. "The players all know who he is, and they know them. The instant that somebody goes into portal and he calls, they're going to know who's calling. His chance to put together a roster that upgrades this thing instantly is there.
"You can tell by listening to him, he's going to walk into a home and families are going to be very, very excited about having their daughters come to Phoenix, Arizona, and play for a man like that. You can just feel the authenticity. You can feel the care. He's just a strong fit for the culture of this campus."
That same appreciation for Gandy was coming out of Columbia, South Carolina, after he told the players about his new job on Sunday, just before he departed for a 24-hour round tip to Phoenix.
"I have to definitely give him his flowers," Gamecocks senior guard Bree Hall told The State. "He's been an amazing coach. He's just so prepared. He knows the game well."
In her Sweet 16 press conference Thursday, South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley said she knew Gandy was "on borrowed time" on her staff since he arrived in 2023. Gandy had been labeled as the top young assistant coach in the nation.
"Super happy for him," Staley said. "Couldn't happen to a better person, a better coach. Now that Grand Canyon gets him, they get a wonderful guy that is going to do extremely well on the court and into the community."
Gandy's high-profile hiring aligns with a "Grace. Grit. Glory." campaign that GCU Athletics recently launched to champion its dedication to women's sports. Mueller said choosing Gandy reflects that GCU wants to be part of the nationwide rise in women's sports opportunities and interest.
"He saw everything that we have," Boggs said. "He saw the support. He saw all that we have around here, and he had the vision to see three years around the corner. He knows exactly what we we're capable of, and that is national prominence. We have an elite head coaching place. We have all the support and resources in place. We also have the most important thing for the success of the athletics program in place, and that is a committed president."
Gandy, whose resume also included three years as Washington Wizards coordinator of player development, will pitch a pro-style offense and defense with an uptempo, high-scoring style to recruits.
"You guys have got yourself a bigtime winner," said Scott Brooks, a Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach who was the Wizards head coach during Gandy's time in Washington. "A man of integrity, he's going to lead your program to new heights. I was very fortuante to have Coach Winston on my staff with the Washington Wizards. What a bright basketball mind. Just knows the game. Knows people. He's about all the right things."
Just as his expectations were exceeded in what GCU showed him this month, Gandy is ready to convey that to recruits as he looks for players nationally with goals of making the Lopes program a national brand. However, he will not just pursue the best available talent. Gandy said roster building and adherence to program core values are essentials.
"I do think there's a chance to upgrade, elevate and sustain," Gandy said. :Anybody can have a really good year or good two years. Trying to sustain it is the challenge."
The new Lopes women's basketball head coach is managing the workload of a web server this week, handling scout preparation on Maryland as a South Carolina assistant coach entering Friday's Sweet 16 game while formulating a GCU roster in his first days on the job to build a GCU roster following a season with a nine-senior playing rotation.
Gandy, enabled with premier contacts from working on coaching staffs at Maryland, Rice, Duke and South Carolina, would not have taken the Lopes' top job if he did not see a place where he could recruit next-level talent.
"The vision and challenge first starts in recruiting," Gandy said. "The exposure piece starts with scheduling. You've got to schedule prominent opponents to get your brand out there and get the exposure. You've got to start getting top-100 kids. That's how the ball starts rolling. That's what I'm looking forward to."I think Grand Canyon obviously provides just about everything a student-athlete could want from a university standpoint, from an athletic standpoint. You've got two people in President (Brian) Mueller and Vice President of Athletics Jamie (Boggs) that are passionate about it. You don't find that very often."
Gandy repeatedly has seen how to formulate a winning roster, serving South Carolina, Duke, Rice and Maryland teams with a cumulative record of 226-53 (.810).
The transfer portal necessitates Gandy's Gamecock-Lope work balance during the NCAA tournament's final two weeks. Between GCU's upcoming move to the Mountain West Conference and the portal opening a day after his hiring announcement at GCU, Gandy has a chance to quickly reconstruct a competitive team in recruiting.
"The game is becoming more and more versatile," Gandy said. "Those are some of the players that we're going to go after – players that can do more than one thing. I don't think, in today's game, you can just be good at one thing and be successful. With some of the opponents that we hope to go against as we try to push toward that national prominence, you're going to have to get players and attract players that want to do both. What I'm most excited about here is that Grand Canyon allows you to be a star on and off the floor."
Mueller said GCU is positioned well to attract a coach like Gandy and the talent he seeks because of the resources that basketball can have in an athletic program without football. Becoming a member of the Mountain West elevates that more, opening doors to a higher level of players.The Lopes also discovered how Gandy's relentless work ethic paired with his charismatic character to make him a prominent recruiter.
"He's recruited the very best players in the country for seven or eight years, between Duke and between South Carolina," Mueller said. "The players all know who he is, and they know them. The instant that somebody goes into portal and he calls, they're going to know who's calling. His chance to put together a roster that upgrades this thing instantly is there.
"You can tell by listening to him, he's going to walk into a home and families are going to be very, very excited about having their daughters come to Phoenix, Arizona, and play for a man like that. You can just feel the authenticity. You can feel the care. He's just a strong fit for the culture of this campus."
That same appreciation for Gandy was coming out of Columbia, South Carolina, after he told the players about his new job on Sunday, just before he departed for a 24-hour round tip to Phoenix.
"I have to definitely give him his flowers," Gamecocks senior guard Bree Hall told The State. "He's been an amazing coach. He's just so prepared. He knows the game well."
In her Sweet 16 press conference Thursday, South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley said she knew Gandy was "on borrowed time" on her staff since he arrived in 2023. Gandy had been labeled as the top young assistant coach in the nation.
"Super happy for him," Staley said. "Couldn't happen to a better person, a better coach. Now that Grand Canyon gets him, they get a wonderful guy that is going to do extremely well on the court and into the community."
Gandy's high-profile hiring aligns with a "Grace. Grit. Glory." campaign that GCU Athletics recently launched to champion its dedication to women's sports. Mueller said choosing Gandy reflects that GCU wants to be part of the nationwide rise in women's sports opportunities and interest."He saw everything that we have," Boggs said. "He saw the support. He saw all that we have around here, and he had the vision to see three years around the corner. He knows exactly what we we're capable of, and that is national prominence. We have an elite head coaching place. We have all the support and resources in place. We also have the most important thing for the success of the athletics program in place, and that is a committed president."
Gandy, whose resume also included three years as Washington Wizards coordinator of player development, will pitch a pro-style offense and defense with an uptempo, high-scoring style to recruits.
"You guys have got yourself a bigtime winner," said Scott Brooks, a Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach who was the Wizards head coach during Gandy's time in Washington. "A man of integrity, he's going to lead your program to new heights. I was very fortuante to have Coach Winston on my staff with the Washington Wizards. What a bright basketball mind. Just knows the game. Knows people. He's about all the right things."
Just as his expectations were exceeded in what GCU showed him this month, Gandy is ready to convey that to recruits as he looks for players nationally with goals of making the Lopes program a national brand. However, he will not just pursue the best available talent. Gandy said roster building and adherence to program core values are essentials.
"I do think there's a chance to upgrade, elevate and sustain," Gandy said. :Anybody can have a really good year or good two years. Trying to sustain it is the challenge."
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