Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball versus Western New Mexico (Exhibition) on October 27, 2026 at 7 p.m.
M Basketball
7 p.m.
vs Western New Mexico (Exhibition)
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Dylan Darling - 2026-27 Men's Basketball Roster
Roster
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Jersey Number 1
Dylan Darling
- Ht./Wt.:
- 6-1 / 180
- Position:
- Guard
- Class:
- Fifth Year
- Hometown:
- Spokane, Wash.
- High School:
- Central Valley
- Prev School:
- Washington State » Idaho State » St. John's
Grand Canyon
2026-27 | Fifth Year
- Transfers to GCU after playing one season at St. John's, one season at Idaho State and two seasons at Washington State.
- Enters his final college season with 91 games played, 47 starts, 837 points, 265 assists, 225 rebounds and 109 steals.
- Brings a résumé that includes 2024-25 Big Sky Player of the Year honors, NABC All-District recognition and a trip to the 2026 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16.
- Chose GCU after the Lopes made him a priority and presented a clear plan for his role. "Being older, you can see who is genuine and has a vision for you. I loved the vision GCU had for me."
- Reunites with GCU assistant coach Derrick Wrobel, who helped recruit Darling to Washington State for his first college opportunity. "Coach Wrobel gave me my first opportunity. It only felt right to end it off with him."
St. John's
Queens, N.Y.2025-26 | Redshirt Junior
- Appeared in 35 games with 15 starts for a 30-win St. John's team that won the Big East regular-season and tournament championships and advanced to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16.
- Averaged 6.9 points, 2.6 assists, 2.5 rebounds and a team-leading 1.4 steals in 21.3 minutes per game while posting a 2.5-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
- Earned NABC North Atlantic District Second Team and All-MET Third Team honors while also receiving Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association Player of the Week and Big East Weekly Honor Roll recognition.
- Elevated his production in Big East play to 8.9 points per game while shooting 39.3% from 3-point range.
- Started St. John's final nine games of the season as his role grew down the stretch.
- Delivered one of the signature moments of the 2026 NCAA Tournament on March 22, calling for the final play and scoring a driving layup at the buzzer to defeat Kansas 67-65 and send St. John's to its first Sweet 16 since 1999. It was his first field goal of the game.
- Earned praise from St. John's head coach Rick Pitino after the Kansas winner for having the confidence to demand the ball, while UConn head coach Dan Hurley called Darling "tough as nails" and "a clutch performer."
- Scored a season-high 23 points with eight rebounds and three steals at Providence on Feb. 14, shooting 8 of 9 at the free throw line and 3 of 5 from 3-point range.
- Added 16 points, five rebounds and four assists in an overtime win against Xavier on Feb. 9 and made a crucial late 3-pointer in a win against No. 3 UConn on Feb. 6.
- Dished out five assists without a turnover against UConn in the Big East Tournament championship game on March 14.
- His clutch play during the season earned him the nickname "Bells" from Pitino.
Idaho State
Pocatello, Idaho2024-25 | Redshirt Sophomore
- Was named Big Sky Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year while earning unanimous All-Big Sky First Team honors in his lone season with the Bengals.
- Started all 28 games and averaged 19.8 points, 5.7 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game while shooting 44.1% from the field, 35.6% from 3-point range and 81.0% at the free throw line.
- One of a few players to rank among the nation's leaders in both scoring and assists, finishing the season with 554 points and 160 assists.
- Led the Big Sky during conference play in scoring at 23.2 points per game, assists at 5.9 and steals at 1.9.
- Became the third player in Idaho State history to record at least 500 points and 150 assists in the same season.
- Scored in double figures in each of his final 27 appearances with 14 games of 20 or more points and three 30-point performances.
- Scored a career-high 34 points on 12-of-19 shooting with six assists against Northern Arizona on March 3.
- Recorded 16 points and a career-high 13 assists against Portland State on Feb. 20 for one of his two points-assists double-doubles.
- Scored 33 points at Montana on Feb. 13 during a stretch in which he scored at least 27 points five times in six games.
- Finished the season tied for 14th on Idaho State's single-season scoring list with 554 points and sixth in program history with 160 assists.
Washington State
Pullman, Wash.2023-24 | Sophomore
- Received a medical redshirt after a season-ending injury limited him to two games.
- Saw action against Idaho on Nov. 6 and Prairie View A&M on Nov. 10 before missing the remainder of the season.
2022-23 | Freshman
- Appeared in 25 games with four starts during his freshman season as Washington State earned an NIT berth.
- Averaged 1.7 points and 1.7 rebounds per game.
- Made his first collegiate start against Eastern Washington on Nov. 21 in his hometown of Spokane.
- Recorded season highs of six points, five rebounds and 29 minutes at Prairie View A&M on Nov. 15.
- Dished out four assists against Detroit Mercy on Nov. 25 and recorded three steals against Utah on Dec. 4.
Central Valley HS
Spokane Valley, Wash.- Named Washington Class 4A Player of the Year, SBLive Washington Player of the Year and Greater Spokane League MVP following a record-setting senior season.
- Averaged 33.2 points on 55% shooting along with 8.5 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 4.4 steals per game.
- Broke the Greater Spokane League scoring record previously held by future NBA player Adam Morrison, averaging 35.6 points over 13 league games.
- Set the league single-game scoring record with 58 points against North Central on Feb. 1, surpassing the previous mark by 11 points.
- Also produced a 53-point game against Post Falls and scored 47 against Mt. Spokane during his senior season.
- Surpassed 1,000 career points and led Central Valley to an 18-8 record and an appearance in the Class 4A state tournament.
Personal
- Chose GCU because he felt prioritized by the coaching staff and believed in its vision for him as a point guard.
- Had multiple connections to GCU before joining the program, including assistant coach Derrick Wrobel and friends and family who attended the university.
- Was born in Phoenix and returns to Arizona, where his father played four seasons for the Arizona Cardinals.
- Parents are James Darling and Kim Leavell, both Washington State graduates, and he has a younger sister, Bella.
- Father, James, was a two-time All-Pac-10 linebacker and Sporting News All-American at Washington State before playing 10 NFL seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, New York Jets and Arizona Cardinals.
- Lists his parents as the biggest influences on his athletic career and says one of their lasting lessons is simply to work hard.
- Has embraced being a role model for young players in his hometown, saying after his NCAA Tournament run that seeing kids at Spokane's Liberty Lake Gym excited to meet him was "a surreal feeling" because he once was one of those kids himself.
- Enjoys spending time at the lake, and says he would play chess if he were not playing basketball.
- Lists LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kobe Bryant among the players he watched most growing up.
- Favorite professional team is the New York Knicks.
Tuesday, October 20
Tuesday, October 20
Sunday, October 11
Friday, October 09
