6/20/2025 8:30:00 AM | Women's Basketball, Paul Coro
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GCU began summer skill work this week with attention to detail, quick bonding
By: Paul Coro
In less than three months, new Grand Canyon women's basketball head coach Winston Gandy persisted amid a whirlwind of new activity to assemble a coaching staff, recruit 13 new players, relocate across the country and get married.
This week, everything new became familiar again when a revamped version of the Lopes took the court for the start of summer workouts. Gandy, whose career success last had him assisting powerhouse South Carolina, is rooted in the skill development work that is the essence of summer sessions.
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      Winston Gandy
Gandy did not roll out the ball and watch five-on-five scrimmages. He and his assistants made most of the players' allotted time by dividing them into three groups for concentrated workouts on screen-and-roll play, concepts and shooting.
"I've told each one of them that I do believe that this university, our program and our staff will be able to move the needle for them, on and off the court," Gandy said. "The question is: are they going to put the time in to move the needle for us? 'When those two merge and mesh, then you get a lot of people meeting or exceeding expectations."
The Lopes' summer workouts began Monday, but the starting point for each player is different, given their experience level, what type of system they come from and their conditioning and health. GCU assistant athletic trainer Cody Jefferson and assistant athletic director for sports performance Zach Farrel are acclimating the Lopes' bodies as everyone but returnees Ale'jah Douglas, a graduate guard, and Kaitlyn Elsholz, a junior guard, learn a new home.
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      Julianna LaMendola
"It's amazing here," said GCU junior guard Julianna LaMendola, an Indiana transfer from the Dallas area. "It's unlike anywhere else. Everybody cares about basketball. Everybody is there for you. This is a very giving school with what it does for student-athletes and the energy it gives to me and my teammates. It's been an embracing environment."
Despite 13 new players, team bonding is happening in a hurry. Outside of basketball, the players are going to the campus pools, watching NBA Finals games and eating meals together. The team and staff gathered for a team dinner Thursday night.
"When you bring a lot of high-character people and just good people, which all of these kids are, it makes that process a little bit easier," Gandy said. "When you don't have games and aren't doling out playing time, everybody's in a good mood. I'm very grateful that we have such a great group and great staff."
After studying video, crunching numbers and making background checks on each player, the staff begins a new read on each player in person. The assessments have been "eye-opening" for Gandy, who is hands on and in his element on the court with players. He prefaces June statements with "come November," a reminder that there is ample time for improvement and learning.
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     Ale'jah Douglas
"We're understanding different ways they want to play," Douglas said. "They're paying a lot of attention to details and breaking things done. It's helping a lot, allowing ourselves to give us grace and take it day by day. It's been fun getting to know everybody on the staff and the team."
After starting eight conference games for Cincinnati last season, sophomore guard Chloe Mann already can assess that GCU has plenty of talent on the floor and care in the coaching staff.
"Coach Gandy pays a lot of attention to detail," Mann said. "That's what will separate most players. Sometimes, players need more attention-based workouts, and that's what Coach Gandy does. I'm excited for the season."
Getting on the court with players has allowed Gandy and his coaches to begin seeing how pieces will fit together as more of his system is implemented. The first important part is how they already fit together, making the first team meeting feel almost informal to players because of how they clicked in personalities.
Nine GCU players are transfers, with many being highly touted high school recruits who sought a second stop to better tap into their potential.
"Fit matters," Gandy said. "You can be a top talent and go to a bad fit and not look anything like yourself. We targeted players with high character, but obviously players that we believe can impact winning in multiple ways – not just scoring or grabbing rebounds. We've got a few months to come together before we start keep tracking of Ws and Ls."
Gandy said the workouts should not come as a surprise to his players. The coaches pledged to be authentic, giving players an experience in recruiting that will not alter once they are in the program. Part of that is his on-court coaching style that balances direct teachings and fun.
"It allows me to learn Coach Gandy and his style and the other coaches," LaMendola said of the five-player, focused workout groups. "It is much more centered on around you and what you need to work on. We're learning each other. It's a very new team, so it's like everyone's freshman year all over again. I'm very excited for next week, what's ahead and the season."
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       Chloe Mann
Sometimes, newcomers turn to Douglas and Elsholz, but the returnees remind them that the workouts are new to them too. They can just encourage them, especially the four freshmen, that it is fine to not immediately grasp every concept. The duo also acts as a bridge to knowledge about the campus and athletics staff.
"The campus is beautiful," Mann said. "I have not seen a college campus like this one. I haven't had to leave campus for anything. We have everything we need for anything. It's like a mini-vacation resort."
Gandy said he could not ask for much more than what he has seen and been given in the first workout week at GCU Basketball Practice Facility. Getting out from behind his office desk and off his phone to be on the court with the players who he selected was a reward worth the wait.
"This is one of the more fun times of the basketball calendar," Gandy said.
