Lopes season opens at 3-time national champ South Carolina

Grand Canyon women's basketball head coach Winston Gandy is not just telling his players about the greatness he envisions for them.

Gandy will show them the ultimate example.

gandy 1 — Gandy assisted the Gamecocks'
2024 national championship.

The first-year Lopes leader will take his team to South Carolina for a Nov. 3 season opener against the Gamecocks, the perennial powerhouse that was the 2024 national champion and 2025 national runner-up with Gandy as an assistant coach.

In an even greater affirmation of Gandy's relationship with South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley and his vision for the future of GCU, the Gamecocks will play the Lopes at Global Credit Union Arena in 2027-28.

"I don't know a better way to start the season," Gandy said. "Dawn and South Carolina have been the gold standard in women's basketball. We desire to take our program to another level. Sometimes, it's important to measure yourself against the best."

The GCU game at South Carolina, which has reached five consecutive Final Fours, signals a next-level approach to aggressive scheduling. The remainder of GCU's toughest nonconference schedule ever will be released Monday.

The Gamecocks will mark the Lopes' highest-ranked opponent in program history. Until facing No. 23 Oregon early last season, GCU had not scheduled a top-25 opponent since No. 12 Duke visited in 2017-18.

Under the helm of a Hall of Fame player in Staley since 2008, South Carolina has won three national championships (2017, 2022 and 2024), nine SEC championships and posted a 475-110 record.

After reaching the national championship game for the third time in four years, this season's South Carolina team returns point guard Raven Johnson, sophomore forward Joyce Edwards and senior forward Chloe Kitts while adding Ta'Niya Latson, a senior guard who averaged 25.2 points for Florida State last season.

Phoenix, AZ July 8, 2025 : The Lopes take part in a practice session in their training facility. David Kadlubowski/GCU

"They've got a really good team again this year, but we look at where we are as a program, and this is the first step," Gandy said. "I'm really excited for the opportunity to set the stage and the table for the rest of the season. That will be our hardest test.

"To see where we are and where we aspire to get to, I couldn't think of a better test."

With two returnees on his 15-player roster, Gandy is establishing a culture of high expectations as GCU jumps to a much higher competition level for its Mountain West debut this season.

South Carolina went 73-4 in the two seasons that Gandy assisted in Columbia, where statues of Staley and A'ja Wilson greet visitors.

"I'm on record saying how awesome Dawn was to work for and how phenomenal of a leader and a coach she is," Gandy said. "I think that's how I've emulated my schedule a little bit, in the sense that she plays anybody anywhere. One of the things I learned from her is she wants to get to know her team before conference. There's no secret why. Toward the end of April, they're always playing."

South Carolina has not lost its home opener since 2010 at Colonial Life Arena, where the Gamecocks have been the national attendance leader for 11 consecutive seasons with 16,437 fans per game last season. Their last six home-opening victories have come by an average margin of 52 points, including trouncing No. 14 Maryland 114-76 in Gandy's first year at South Carolina.

"We will definitely have our work cut out for us," Gandy said.

When Gandy was named GCU head coach in March as South Carolina progressed in the NCAA Tournament, Staley said, "Over the past two seasons with our program at South Carolina, I've seen firsthand his incredible work ethic, recruiting talent and passion for the game. Winston is one of the hardest workers and best recruiters in the sport, and he's a true student of the game. More importantly, he genuinely cares about our players and builds real relationships on and off the court. He'll always be a part of our Gamecock family, and I know he's ready for this opportunity. I have no doubt he'll do a fantastic job at GCU, and I can't wait to watch him thrive as a head coach."

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Grand Canyon University Athletics

Lopes season opens at 3-time national champ South Carolina

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