Completed Event: Men's Basketball at UNLV on February 7, 2026 , Loss , 78, to, 80
M Basketball
at UNLV
L 78-80
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Henley tops GCU honors on All-MW 1st team
3/10/2026 12:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro
Williams chosen to All-MW 3rd team; Owusu-Anane lands on MW All-Defensive Team
LAS VEGAS — Grand Canyon's first season in the Mountain West resembles its recent history of success with another 20-win season and now multiple players receiving postseason conference awards.
GCU senior Jaden Henley was named to the All-Mountain West first team, giving Lopes head coach Bryce Drew a player on all-conference first team in each of his six GCU seasons.
Lopes junior Makaih Williams also made All-Mountain West third team while graduate Nana Owusu-Anane was chosen as a Mountain West All-Defensive Team member and an All-Mountain West honorable mention.
GCU also has placed multiple players on all-conference teams for each of Drew's seasons, as well as having a player receiving defensive team honors for the third consecutive season.Jaden Henley
Henley, a 6-foot-7 guard from Ontario, California, is shooting a career-best 46.6% from the field and posting career-high averages for points (17.6), rebounds (5.7) and assists (2.9) while also averaging 1.5 steals per game. The only other players in the nation reaching those four averages this season are Cameron Boozer of Duke, Prophet Johnson of Sacramento State and Dailyn Swain of Texas.
"I come into the game with the same mentality every night," Henley said. "I'm not really worried about the points. I just worry about winning."
All four of Henley's career double-doubles have come in conference play this season, when he has posted his career's four highest-scoring games, his four best rebounding games, his three best assist games and his career-high steals game. His versatility to be a playmaker, score on three levels, draw fouls and make second-half surges at key junctures has transformed the Lopes.
Henley was the only player besides MW Player of the Year Mason Falslev of Utah State to rank in the conference's top 10 for points, reobunds, assists, steals and field goal percentage.
"We're so happy that Jaden chose to come to GCU," Drew said. "His experience in the Mountain West has been huge for our program this year. He's such a dynamic player. He's had so many great game for us. We're just hoping his best is still to come."Makaih Williams
Williams, the 6-2 guard from Long Beach, California, was GCU's only rotation returnee for the 11 games that teammate Caleb Shaw missed for an ankle injury. Williams played a key role as a change-of-speed sixth man before Shaw's injury put him into the starting lineup full-time with Henley and graduate guard Brian Moore Jr., leading to an uptick in his scoring for conference play at 15.2 points per game.
"We know it's hard to guard three of us at once, so we trust each other to make plays," Williams said. "Sometimes, you'll see me up there about to get mine or trying to find teammates who are scoring."
While the highlight of his season was drawing a foul and making two free throws to beat San Diego State at home, Williams has lifted his game all season with a career-high 13.6 points per game while also averaging 2.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.0 steals per game. His 79.5% free throw shooting is also a career best, and he came within two of a career scoring high with a 29-point, seven-rebound performance against Wyoming.Nana Owusu-Anane
Owusu-Anane, the 6-foot-8 power forward from near Toronto, earned the Lopes' fourth postseason defensive honor over the past three seasons with his respected tenacity, effort and physicality. He often sets a leadership tone with his play and voice, recording four-steal games twice this season and four-block games twice. He did not foul out of a game until Feb. 28 at Utah State, when he intentionally took his fifth foul with six seconds to go.
"At the beginning of the year, the coaches really challenged me with my defense," Owusu-Anane said. "A lot of my habits were bad because I hadn't played in a while (after a redshirt season at Brown for a shoulder injury). Defense has to be my calling card now and for my professional future. I'm trying to do whatever it takes to win, diving on every loose ball, grabbing 10 rebounds, guarding whoever I need to guard.
Owusu-Anane's honorable mention recognizes his two-way play, which has included a career-best clips for 3-point shooting (36%) and free throw shooting (74%). He averages 9.2 points, 8.5 bounds, 1.4 steals and 0.8 blocks per game with six double-doubles.
"Nana's been a warrior," Drew said. "He's been the heart of our team all year. He plays with so much intensity and at such a high level of emotion that it goes into our other players. He's already got an Ivy league degree. He's had a great college basketball career. Only great things are still ahead for him."
GCU (20-11) tied for third in the Mountain West and enters its first Mountain West Championship as the No. 4 seed at UNLV's Thomas & Mack Center. The Lopes will play a 2:30 p.m. Thursday quarterfinal against the Wednesday winner of No. 5 seed Nevada vs. No. 12 seed Air Force.
GCU senior Jaden Henley was named to the All-Mountain West first team, giving Lopes head coach Bryce Drew a player on all-conference first team in each of his six GCU seasons.
Lopes junior Makaih Williams also made All-Mountain West third team while graduate Nana Owusu-Anane was chosen as a Mountain West All-Defensive Team member and an All-Mountain West honorable mention.
GCU also has placed multiple players on all-conference teams for each of Drew's seasons, as well as having a player receiving defensive team honors for the third consecutive season.
Jaden Henley
All-MW First Team
Henley, a 6-foot-7 guard from Ontario, California, is shooting a career-best 46.6% from the field and posting career-high averages for points (17.6), rebounds (5.7) and assists (2.9) while also averaging 1.5 steals per game. The only other players in the nation reaching those four averages this season are Cameron Boozer of Duke, Prophet Johnson of Sacramento State and Dailyn Swain of Texas."I come into the game with the same mentality every night," Henley said. "I'm not really worried about the points. I just worry about winning."
All four of Henley's career double-doubles have come in conference play this season, when he has posted his career's four highest-scoring games, his four best rebounding games, his three best assist games and his career-high steals game. His versatility to be a playmaker, score on three levels, draw fouls and make second-half surges at key junctures has transformed the Lopes.
Henley was the only player besides MW Player of the Year Mason Falslev of Utah State to rank in the conference's top 10 for points, reobunds, assists, steals and field goal percentage.
"We're so happy that Jaden chose to come to GCU," Drew said. "His experience in the Mountain West has been huge for our program this year. He's such a dynamic player. He's had so many great game for us. We're just hoping his best is still to come."
Makaih Williams
All-MW Third Team
Williams, the 6-2 guard from Long Beach, California, was GCU's only rotation returnee for the 11 games that teammate Caleb Shaw missed for an ankle injury. Williams played a key role as a change-of-speed sixth man before Shaw's injury put him into the starting lineup full-time with Henley and graduate guard Brian Moore Jr., leading to an uptick in his scoring for conference play at 15.2 points per game."We know it's hard to guard three of us at once, so we trust each other to make plays," Williams said. "Sometimes, you'll see me up there about to get mine or trying to find teammates who are scoring."
While the highlight of his season was drawing a foul and making two free throws to beat San Diego State at home, Williams has lifted his game all season with a career-high 13.6 points per game while also averaging 2.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.0 steals per game. His 79.5% free throw shooting is also a career best, and he came within two of a career scoring high with a 29-point, seven-rebound performance against Wyoming.
Nana Owusu-Anane
All-MW Honorable Mention
All-MW Defensive Team
Owusu-Anane, the 6-foot-8 power forward from near Toronto, earned the Lopes' fourth postseason defensive honor over the past three seasons with his respected tenacity, effort and physicality. He often sets a leadership tone with his play and voice, recording four-steal games twice this season and four-block games twice. He did not foul out of a game until Feb. 28 at Utah State, when he intentionally took his fifth foul with six seconds to go."At the beginning of the year, the coaches really challenged me with my defense," Owusu-Anane said. "A lot of my habits were bad because I hadn't played in a while (after a redshirt season at Brown for a shoulder injury). Defense has to be my calling card now and for my professional future. I'm trying to do whatever it takes to win, diving on every loose ball, grabbing 10 rebounds, guarding whoever I need to guard.
Owusu-Anane's honorable mention recognizes his two-way play, which has included a career-best clips for 3-point shooting (36%) and free throw shooting (74%). He averages 9.2 points, 8.5 bounds, 1.4 steals and 0.8 blocks per game with six double-doubles.
"Nana's been a warrior," Drew said. "He's been the heart of our team all year. He plays with so much intensity and at such a high level of emotion that it goes into our other players. He's already got an Ivy league degree. He's had a great college basketball career. Only great things are still ahead for him."
GCU (20-11) tied for third in the Mountain West and enters its first Mountain West Championship as the No. 4 seed at UNLV's Thomas & Mack Center. The Lopes will play a 2:30 p.m. Thursday quarterfinal against the Wednesday winner of No. 5 seed Nevada vs. No. 12 seed Air Force.
Major Mountain West awards |
||
| Award | Player | Team |
| Player of the Year | Mason Falslev | Utah State |
| Defensive Player of the Year | Miles Byrd | San Diego State |
| Freshman of the Year | Jake Hall | New Mexico |
| Sixth Player of the Year | Karson Templin | Utah State |
| Newcomer of the Year | Dra Gibbs-Longhorn | UNLV |
| Coach of the Year | Jerrod Calhoun | Utah State |
All-MW First Team |
||
| Name | Year, position | Team |
| Jaden Henley | Senior, guard | GCU |
| Corey Camper Jr. | Junior, guard | Nevada |
| Mason Falslev | Junior, guard | Utah State |
| Dra Gibbs-Longhorn | Junior, guard | UNLV |
| Jake Hall | Freshman, guard | New Mexico |
All-MW Second Team |
||
| Name | Year, position | Team |
| Tomislav Buljan | Freshman, forward | New Mexico |
| MJ Collins | Senior, guard | Utah State |
| Reese Dixon-Waters | Senior, guard | San Diego State |
| Drew Fielder | Junior, forward | Boise State |
| Elijah Price | Sophomore, forward | Nevada |
All-MW Third Team |
||
| Name | Year, position | Team |
| Makaih Williams | Junior, guard | GCU |
| Miles Bird | Junior, guard | San Diego State |
| Colby Garland | Junior, guard | San José State |
| Jake Heidbreder | Senior, guard | Fresno State |
| Jevin Muniz | Senior, guard | Colorado State |
MW Defensive Team |
||
| Name | Year, position | Team |
| Nana Owusu-Anane | Graduate, forward | GCU |
| Miles Bird | Junior, guard | San Diego State |
| Mason Falslev | Junior, guard | Utah State |
| Tyrin Jones | Freshman, forward | UNLV |
| Elijah Price | Sophomore, forward | Nevada |
MW Honorable Mentions |
||
| Name | Year, position | Team |
| Nana Owusu-Anane | Graduate, forward | GCU |
| Drake Allen | Graduate, guard | Utah State |
| Dylan Andrews | Senior, guard | Boise State |
| Javan Buchanan | Senior, forward | Boise State |
| BJ Davis | Junior, guard | San Diego State |
| DeShawn Gory | Freshman, forward | Fresno State |
| Tyrin Jones | Freshman, forward | UNLV |
| Brandon Rechsteiner | Junior, guard | Colorado State |
| Leland Walker | Senior, guard | Wyoming |
Players Mentioned
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