Completed Event: Men's Basketball versus Western New Mexico (Exhibition) on October 27, 2026 , Win , 82, to, 59
M Basketball
vs Western New Mexico (Exhibition)
W 82-59
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Saturday, November 7
Phoenix, Ariz.
6 p.m.
Grand Canyon
vs
Bethune-Cookman
Photo by: David Kadlubowski
11/6/2026 11:40:00 AM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro, Lopes Insider Blog
GCU enters Saturday game vs. Bethune-Cookman with game-changer off bench
A significant ingredient to the winning basketball of head coach Bryce Drew's previous six Grand Canyon seasons is the elite defense he annually concocts for the Lopes.
But there has never been a salivating defender who draws eyes quite like senior forward Amarion Dickerson, the game-changing, shot-swatting, fun-feasting newcomer who has been a Lopes scene-stealer off the bench.
As he enters his third appearance at Global Credit Union Arena when GCU plays SWAC favorite Bethune-Cookman at 6 p.m., Dickerson is denying on defensive like a player hungry for basketball who had been denied game action for 11 months by a hip injury.
But as much as the 6-foot-7 Cleveland native turns heads and makes highlights with blocked shots, he is proving to be an all-around player who changes games. In the home exhibition and Monday's season-opening win combined, Dickerson has a plus-minus of plus-52 in his 49 minutes on the court. The Lopes minus-5 in the 31 minutes that Dickerson did not play in those two games.
"I've never played with an Amarion," GCU senior point guard Dylan Darling said. "You don't even see him and he's flying, blocking shots and talking crazy. I love it. I love that guy. He's a monster. He's just the ultimate team guy. He's not out there looking to take a lot of shots. All he wants to do is just chase down blocks and lock dudes up. I love playing with Mar, and he's going to have games like that all year long."
The impact is no surprise for Dickerson's history. He was the Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year for a Robert Morris team that reached the 2025 NCAA Tournament and led Alabama with seven minutes to go in a first-round game. He had 25 points and nine rebounds that game and ranked 10th nationally with 2.34 blocks per game that season.
Last season at USC, the Trojans were 8-0 in games Dickerson played and 10-14 after his season-ending hip fracture that he suffered on a Dec. 2 fall against Oregon.
Dickerson returned with the same boundless energy that makes him a dynamic defender and underrated offensive weapon with rim-rattling dunks and a 3-point touch. He gobbled up a baskeball buffet of 12 points, four rebounds and four assists with those five blocks in 25 minutes Monday.
"He loves to play," Drew said. "He loves to compete. He's like that every day in practice. How you are in practice usually becomes how you are in games. He loves the challenge of defending. He loves the challenge of blocking shots. He's been working on his offense, and he hit a couple big 3s and a big and-one (Monday). He was all over the place. It's great that our team fed off his energy. Our crowd fed off his energy. It was fun to have him out there."
Dickerson swatted five shots in his official GCU debut Monday against Texas Southern after having four blocks in the exhibition game. He did not just reject the Tigers' shots Monday. He engulfed them, coming off the weak side in such timely fashion that four of his blocks were two-handed ones that the volleyball team would admire.
"Two hands for safety," Dickerson said.
Monday's other block was even more impressive. Dickerson showed on help defense to an opponent on the wing before returning to close out on his man, whose 3-point attempt he blocked.
"Defense is something I hang my hat on, and I'm pretty sure as a group, a team and a university we hang our hat on it too," Dickerson said. "We don't want the other team to just be pounding the ball in our face and getting layups or open shots. I just try to move like a Swiss Army knife and do a little bit of everything.
"I really hate when people score on me. When I get scored on, I feel like the world ends for me."
That speaks to his coach. The Lopes have ranked fifth nationally for opponent field goal percentage over Drew's first six seasons at GCU.
Like Drew, Dickerson starts with "D."
"He embraces the challenge of defending," Drew said. "It's just something some guys have. He loves to guard and block shots. That gives him as much joy as making a 3 or a dunk. When you add how good he was offensively, he really played an excellent all-around game."
Dickerson said his defensive mindset is based in how he played various defensive football positions from rush end to cornerback until a growth spurt turned him onto basketball at age 13.
His route was a grind that included two years at Mineral Area College, a Missouri junior college where GCU baseball head coach Steve Bieser also launched his playing career. Dickerson was easy to things not coming easy, except for the love of his mother, grandmother and an extended family of women who raised him.
"Being an inner-city kid from Cleveland, the city is rugged and rough," Dickerson said. "We pride ourselves like that. We're a blue-collar city. Being from the lower-income projects in Cleveland just kind of molded me into who I am."
That has made Dickerson want to do the right thing off the court as well, holding the ADIII Annual Bookbag Giveaway for more than 200 students from his Cleveland Metropolitan School District over the past two years. The event gives students supply-filled backpacks and offers free haircuts before the school year begins.
Dickerson supplies the right help on the court too, playing with a high basketball IQ, an endless motor and an unselfish way. His court passion already has endeared him to the Havocs, and his love of defense fits the GCU basketball brand.
"We've got a lot of dynamic players on offense to get whatever shot we want to," Dickerson said. "But the defensive end, if we really put our all into the defensive end, can jell together. Defense can also create high opportunities on the offensive end. We have to fix the key details that Coach Drew wants us to fix."
But there has never been a salivating defender who draws eyes quite like senior forward Amarion Dickerson, the game-changing, shot-swatting, fun-feasting newcomer who has been a Lopes scene-stealer off the bench.
As he enters his third appearance at Global Credit Union Arena when GCU plays SWAC favorite Bethune-Cookman at 6 p.m., Dickerson is denying on defensive like a player hungry for basketball who had been denied game action for 11 months by a hip injury.But as much as the 6-foot-7 Cleveland native turns heads and makes highlights with blocked shots, he is proving to be an all-around player who changes games. In the home exhibition and Monday's season-opening win combined, Dickerson has a plus-minus of plus-52 in his 49 minutes on the court. The Lopes minus-5 in the 31 minutes that Dickerson did not play in those two games.
"I've never played with an Amarion," GCU senior point guard Dylan Darling said. "You don't even see him and he's flying, blocking shots and talking crazy. I love it. I love that guy. He's a monster. He's just the ultimate team guy. He's not out there looking to take a lot of shots. All he wants to do is just chase down blocks and lock dudes up. I love playing with Mar, and he's going to have games like that all year long."
The impact is no surprise for Dickerson's history. He was the Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year for a Robert Morris team that reached the 2025 NCAA Tournament and led Alabama with seven minutes to go in a first-round game. He had 25 points and nine rebounds that game and ranked 10th nationally with 2.34 blocks per game that season.
Last season at USC, the Trojans were 8-0 in games Dickerson played and 10-14 after his season-ending hip fracture that he suffered on a Dec. 2 fall against Oregon.
Dickerson returned with the same boundless energy that makes him a dynamic defender and underrated offensive weapon with rim-rattling dunks and a 3-point touch. He gobbled up a baskeball buffet of 12 points, four rebounds and four assists with those five blocks in 25 minutes Monday.
"He loves to play," Drew said. "He loves to compete. He's like that every day in practice. How you are in practice usually becomes how you are in games. He loves the challenge of defending. He loves the challenge of blocking shots. He's been working on his offense, and he hit a couple big 3s and a big and-one (Monday). He was all over the place. It's great that our team fed off his energy. Our crowd fed off his energy. It was fun to have him out there."
Dickerson swatted five shots in his official GCU debut Monday against Texas Southern after having four blocks in the exhibition game. He did not just reject the Tigers' shots Monday. He engulfed them, coming off the weak side in such timely fashion that four of his blocks were two-handed ones that the volleyball team would admire.
"Two hands for safety," Dickerson said.
Monday's other block was even more impressive. Dickerson showed on help defense to an opponent on the wing before returning to close out on his man, whose 3-point attempt he blocked.
"Defense is something I hang my hat on, and I'm pretty sure as a group, a team and a university we hang our hat on it too," Dickerson said. "We don't want the other team to just be pounding the ball in our face and getting layups or open shots. I just try to move like a Swiss Army knife and do a little bit of everything."I really hate when people score on me. When I get scored on, I feel like the world ends for me."
That speaks to his coach. The Lopes have ranked fifth nationally for opponent field goal percentage over Drew's first six seasons at GCU.
Like Drew, Dickerson starts with "D."
"He embraces the challenge of defending," Drew said. "It's just something some guys have. He loves to guard and block shots. That gives him as much joy as making a 3 or a dunk. When you add how good he was offensively, he really played an excellent all-around game."
Dickerson said his defensive mindset is based in how he played various defensive football positions from rush end to cornerback until a growth spurt turned him onto basketball at age 13.His route was a grind that included two years at Mineral Area College, a Missouri junior college where GCU baseball head coach Steve Bieser also launched his playing career. Dickerson was easy to things not coming easy, except for the love of his mother, grandmother and an extended family of women who raised him.
"Being an inner-city kid from Cleveland, the city is rugged and rough," Dickerson said. "We pride ourselves like that. We're a blue-collar city. Being from the lower-income projects in Cleveland just kind of molded me into who I am."
That has made Dickerson want to do the right thing off the court as well, holding the ADIII Annual Bookbag Giveaway for more than 200 students from his Cleveland Metropolitan School District over the past two years. The event gives students supply-filled backpacks and offers free haircuts before the school year begins.
Dickerson supplies the right help on the court too, playing with a high basketball IQ, an endless motor and an unselfish way. His court passion already has endeared him to the Havocs, and his love of defense fits the GCU basketball brand.
"We've got a lot of dynamic players on offense to get whatever shot we want to," Dickerson said. "But the defensive end, if we really put our all into the defensive end, can jell together. Defense can also create high opportunities on the offensive end. We have to fix the key details that Coach Drew wants us to fix."
Lope tracks
- Bethune-Cookman is the defending SWAC champion and picked up 10 of 16 first-place votes to be this season's preseason conference favorite. GCU will face three other reigning regular-season conference champions this season in UMBC, Saint Louis and Florida.
- Former 13-year NBA player, Sacramento Kings head coach and three-time college head coach Reggie Theus is in his sixth season leading the Wildcats. He also has been Bethune-Cookman's vice president of athletics since 2021, making him the only person to hold both roles in Division I.
- Drew and Theus are among 17 Division I head coaches with NBA playing experience. GCU will face five opponents this season with coaches who played in the NBA (Theus, Memphis' Penny Hardaway, UC Davis' Jim Les, Nevada's Steve Alford and Air Force's Joe Crispin).
- Daniel Rouzan, a 6-foot-8 forward, was a Preseason All-SWAC first-team pick after averaging 11.8 points and 4.9 rebounds in 23.6 minutes per game last season. Quentin Ready, a 6-6 junior, missed last season for injury but earned second-team preseason accolades for averaging 10.3 points in 25.7 minutes per game in 2025-26.
- After being ranked No. 44 in KenPom and No. 42 in Bart Torvik, ESPN analyst Jay Bilas put GCU in "The Bilas Index" at No. 52 in the nation.
Players Mentioned
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