Lopes talk depth, ambition at MW Media Day

Las Vegas, NV Oct. 7, 2026: The Lopes take part in the Mountain West Conference Media at the Palms in Las Vegas, NV. David Kadlubowski/GCU

Photo by: David Kadlubowski

10/7/2026 8:27:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro

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GCU shows priorities on GCU's competiveness, physicality, experience

By: Paul Coro

LAS VEGAS – The Mountain West preseason poll proclaimed New Mexico as Grand Canyon's stiffest competition, giving the Lobos first place by a point even though the Lopes drew one more first-place vote.

But every day inside GCU Basketball Practice Facility, a team that has turned two- to three-deep at every position is flexing the three areas seventh-year head coach Bryce Drew targeted – competitiveness, physicality and experience.
Las Vegas, NV Oct. 7, 2026: The Lopes take part in the Mountain West Conference Media at the Palms in Las Vegas, NV. David Kadlubowski/GCU

"We wanted to bring in guys that want to win and guys that really wanted to compete, and I think we've really seen that in practice," Drew said at Mountain West Basketball Media Day in Las Vegas. "We put any combination of lineups out there, and it's very competitive. Players are wanting to win whatever team they're on in that moment. It's made for some really good practices, and it's also made our guys better."

The optimism starts with having four returnees who started double-digit games last season. Wednesday's event marked the first time that guard Jaden Henley talked about his return to GCU after his All-Mountain West first-team season that led to several NBA workouts and an NBA Summer League opportunity with the Detroit Pistons.

"It's special being able to come back to a system that helped me changed my life and helped me grow as a person on and off the court," Henley said. "That was a huge part to be able to come back to a program that truly cares about me and wanted me. I'm super happy to be back."
Las Vegas, NV Oct. 7, 2026: The Lopes take part in the Mountain West Conference Media at the Palms in Las Vegas, NV. David Kadlubowski/GCU

After coaching changes moved Henley in each offseason from 2023 to 2025, the 6-foot-7 guard is relishing returning to a program that fostered his career-best season in 2025-26.

"He definitely came back to us a better player this year than we left us," Drew said. "He had a tremendous year last year and made a lot of big plays for us throughout the year. The experience he got going through the draft process has made him smarter as a basketball player. He's gotten bigger and stronger. He makes reads better. He shoots better. He's improved all areas of his game since he last put a GCU uniform on."

Henley's late-summer arrival provides perspective for how the Lopes can be different from last season's 20-win team. Drew is pushing the Lopes to play faster. The offense is in the hands of a pure point guard, MW Preseason Newcomer of the Year Dylan Darling. He said the competition makes every practice feel like a real game.

That comes from having a roster with 13 players who have Division I starting experience. Seven Lopes have averaged more than 13 points per game in a season.
Las Vegas, NV Oct. 7, 2026: The Lopes take part in the Mountain West Conference Media at the Palms in Las Vegas, NV. David Kadlubowski/GCU

"Depth is so important," said Drew, whose team tied for third place in its first MW season. "You look at last year. We were playing really well, and then we had some injuries that really set us back. We had a short rotation that hurt us."

Henley was joined on the Preseason All-MW Team by Darling, senior guard Makaih Williams and sophomore center Efe Demirel. It was Williams' 14.0 scoring average and All-MW third-team play that was a large part of Drew and his coaching staff targeting Darling in the transfer portal.

"We feel like Makaih is at his best when he can be in scoring mode a lot because he's such a prolific scorer on three levels," Drew said. "Finding an experienced guard like Dylan was our top priority because we feel he can make Makaih even better … His experience and maturity at that position just makes our team a lot better."

Darling said that everything Drew laid out for his role, program intentions and talent has proved to be true.

The transition was smooth, as Darling tries to blend the multi-threat player he was as Big Sky Player of the Year at Idaho State in 2024-25 and the complementary distributor he was for a loaded St. John's Sweet 16 team last season. Being on a team with 11 newcomers could have hit the point guard hardest, but Darling said an unselfish team personality has made it easier.
Las Vegas, NV Oct. 7, 2026: The Lopes take part in the Mountain West Conference Media at the Palms in Las Vegas, NV. David Kadlubowski/GCU

"It wasn't hard at all," Darling said. "This team has bonded like no other. We could sit around the locker room for hours and just mess around with each other. It's just that easy with this group. We hang out together all the time. It's really been seamless. We have a bunch of great guys who are ego-less and love on each other."

Darling's competitiveness has been on display in practices, especially when he stripped a dribble for a scrimmage-winning layup on the final play. He said that mindset ties back to assembling a team where "we saw the opportunity that GCU has to be relevant nationally. We've got the pieces to do it. Now we've just got to do it.

"There's no drop-off anywhere. There's no weak link. I'm competitive. I don't like losing. I try to do everything possible I can to make sure my team comes out on top. I try to affect the game on both sides of the court."

The first public display of the new-look Lopes comes Oct. 27 with a home exhibition game against Western New Mexico. The regular season opens with a Nov. 2 home game against Texas Southern before more home games against Bethune-Cookman, Cal Poly and Louisiana Monroe lead GCU into Acrisure Classic games against Saint Louis and Stanford or Colorado.

Before Mountain West play, GCU also will play Santa Clara at home, at Oklahoma State. at Memphis and against probable preseason No. 1 Florida in Jacksonville, Florida.

"The expectations for us are obviously to win the conference and make a big run in the tournament," Henley said. "'We don't worry too much about preseason stuff. We obviously just want our work to show during the year."