Brink of season buzzes with Tuesday home exhibition
10/26/2026 6:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro, Lopes Insider Blog
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GCU makes public debut vs. Western New Mexico before Nov. 2 season opener
By: Paul Coro
Most of this Grand Canyon basketball team has been known about since April and May, when touted transfers were being added to reliable returners.
The GCU roster concoction made for a building buzz about what the Lopes could look like this season. That unfolds Tuesday night when Lope Nation lays eyes on GCU for the first time at Global Credit Union Arena, where the Lopes play Western New Mexico at 7 p.m. Tuesday in a final exhibition tune-up.
GCU is worth getting to know past the starting lineup. The Lopes added nine Division I transfers to a roster returning All-Mountain West first-team honoree Jaden Henley and two other Preseason All-Mountain West honorees, senior guard Makaih Williams and sophomore center Efe Demirel.
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        Jaden Zimmerman
"We can't wait to play and show everybody what we can do," said GCU junior guard Jaden Zimmerman, who averaged 15.1 points for Quinnipiac last season. "Makaih and everybody on the team always says that we've got three starting fives. Anybody can start. Anybody can play. Anybody can do anything. Our ninth man could be the starter on any Mountain West team."
Zimmerman is one of 13 Lopes who have started for a Division I program and one of eight to average at least 12.9 points in a D-I season. They have practiced together since June, been on a two-game trip to Vancouver in August, held Midnight Madness for fellow students and played secret scrimmages leading up to Tuesday night's unfurling for the home crowd.
"I have a lot of confidence in each of their skills," said GCU senior power forward Omaha Biliew, a former McDonald's All-American who transferred from Wake Forest. "Once we get everybody on the court, we're going to be even better. I can't wait for it."
The depth, balance and athleticism allow seventh-year head coach Bryce Drew to have this season's team play with a faster tempo, particularly with point guard duties in the hands of St. John's transfer Dylan Darling. The Preseason Mountain West Newcomer of the Year was the starting point guard on the Red Storm's Sweet 16 team last season and was Big Sky Player of the Year for Idaho State two seasons ago.
Despite 11 newcomers, GCU clicks on and off the court with a testament to the staff's consideration of chemistry when culling the transfer portal in the spring. Through 4 1/2 months of lab work, the Lopes give the feel of a team that has long-term chemistry.
"We're with each other basically every day," Zimmerman said. "Everything we do, we try to do together, and that's a big part of our chemistry. Everybody's a fun person.
"When we're on the court, we connect. Everybody has been somewhere. Everybody's averaged like 15 points or more or played at a good level. If somebody says something to a teammate, they're not going to be like, 'Oh, why are your talking to me like that?' They're going to be like, 'I got you next play.' "
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       Amarion Dickerson
The energy flows through fifth-year swingman Amarion Dickerson as much as anyone, especially because he has not played a game since Dec. 2 when he suffered a season-ending fractured hip on a fall.
Dickerson played in the Lopes' home exhibition last season, when he was with visitor USC. That Havocs environment at Global Credit Union Arena was part of what drew the 2024-25 Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year (at Robert Morris) to GCU.
"Bryce Drew has done some incredible things here over the years," Dickerson said. "We're just trying to keep our engine rolling and continue to jell together. From the first summer practice to now, the bond and the togetherness we showed is moreso a brotherhood that pours onto practice and on-court things. We're vibing."
The Lopes open the regular season next Monday at home against Texas Southern, the first of four consecutive home games to begin what Drew considers the team's toughest nonconference schedule in his seven GCU seasons.
"They need to take their practice competitiveness to games," Drew said. "I think they're excited to play in front of a crowd, so we'll see them pick their level up in front of a crowd."
