Lopes aim to play faster with 7 transfers who bring starting experience
By: Paul Coro
College basketball comes at you fast, and so does Grand Canyon.
As the NBA prepares to end its season with the Finals tipping off this week, the Lopes began work on the 2026-27 season by logging their first summer workout Monday evening at GCU Basketball Practice Facility. Bryce Drew
The quick turn to next season is indicative of how the refinedLopes intend to play too. For GCU, a three-second violation could take on a second meaning for not swiftly moving the ball upcourt from rebound or inbound to the 3-point line in three seconds.
"We like the speed of this team," said Lopes seventh-year head coach Bryce Drew, who put three seconds on the play clock for a transition offense drill Monday. "We like the depth. We definitely want to get out in the open court and let guys make plays."
With eight newcomers, the learning curve would appear steep. But the GCU staff painstakingly evaluates culture and personality fits as much as basketball chemistry and needs to make for groups that click quickly in the eight weekly hours of summer team workouts.
Drew has senior guards Makaih Williams and Caleb Shaw and sophomore center Efe Demirel back after each averaged more than 20 minutes per game last season. Along with returnees in 2025-26 redshirts Jack Sawyer and Luke Shaw, GCU has the players to help the system transition for tranfers who anxiously entered the gym Monday with as much as bounce as the basketballs. Dylan Darling
"It's like Christmas morning," said Lopes senior point guard Dylan Darling, a transfer who started for a Sweet 16 run last season at St. John's. "Going on my fifth year in college, you still get butterflies every single time, but it was just a lot of fun.
"It's a really good group, and I like our pieces and what we could do this year. There was a lot of energy in the gym, and we're just going to keep stacking."
Darling is among seven incoming transfers who each have started at least 24 games prior to GCU. That brings experience, but it also carries perspective and appreciation for what they see entering GCU. Beyond basketball, they take note of how they are supported with staff, facilities and amenities. Omaha Biliew
"I loved it," said Lopes senior power forward Omaha Biliew, the highest-rated recruit GCU has ever signed as a 2023 McDonald's All-American and No. 11 prospect out of his Iowa high school. "The culture's here already. I love the staff. I love the energy that everybody is bringing to practice.
"It's going to be a fun year. I'm going to enjoy coming to practice every day. I'm going to enjoy coming to workouts. I'm going to enjoy being around the guys all the time. I felt it when I first came here. I'm going to love coming to work every day."
That is how Caleb Shaw (Year 4 at GCU) and Williams (Year 3 at GCU) have felt for years, keeping them in a program that has averaged 23.3 wins per season with four NCAA Tournament appearances under Drew.
"These are all great people," Williams said of the newcomers. "I texted every person when they committed, and everybody had the same energy, like, 'Let's go win. Let's go win the championship.'
"We had a great day, honestly. Good team chemistry. It's great being out here with these guys. I think we're going to be great this year."
In a pre-practice meeting for getting to know people and rules, Drew told the team that he expects players to work out with constant energy. The building turned kinetic for a team establishing workout habits that emulate March Madness quality.
"I'm really encouraged after the first day with the energy," Drew said. "The communication player to player was outstanding today. It was a really fun group to be around this first day. We have a lot of guys who have had good careers so far coming in. There are a lot of guys who can help us.
"When you have so many new players, being able to get them on the court and get to know them as people – their personalities and how they operate – is important. The summer's great for that. You don't get multiple years to teach guys your system. You only have these months, and then you start games. Our returnees have experience in our system, but we're trying to get the new guys up to speed as quick as we can."
GCU Men's Basketball vs. Fresno State - Postgame Radio with Bryce DrewGCU Men's Basketball vs. Fresno State - Postgame Radio with Bryce Drew
Wednesday, March 11
GCU Men's Basketball vs. Fresno State - Postgame Radio with Brian Moore Jr.GCU Men's Basketball vs. Fresno State - Postgame Radio with Brian Moore Jr.
Wednesday, March 11
What's Ahead for the Mountain West Tournament?What's Ahead for the Mountain West Tournament?
Monday, March 09
GCU Men's Basketball vs. Fresno State - Postgame with Dusty Stromer, Brian Moore Jr.GCU Men's Basketball vs. Fresno State - Postgame with Dusty Stromer, Brian Moore Jr.
In a pre-practice meeting for getting to know people and rules, Drew told the team that he expects players to work out with constant energy. The building turned kinetic for a team establishing workout habits that emulate March Madness quality.
