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
Tyler Behrend - 2026-27 Men's Basketball Roster
Roster
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/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's Basketball
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C
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's Basketball
Jersey Number 9
Tyler Behrend
- Ht./Wt.:
- 6-10 / 235
- Position:
- Forward
- Class:
- Senior
- Hometown:
- Cincinnati, Ohio
- High School:
- Valley Lutheran
- Prev School:
- Olympic College » Tulsa
Grand Canyon
2026-27 | Senior
- Transfers to GCU after two seasons at Tulsa and an unconventional path to Division I basketball that included five years of service in the U.S. Navy.
- Appeared in 54 games over two seasons at Tulsa, including starts in all 38 games in 2025-26.
- Returns to Phoenix, where he finished his high school career at Valley Lutheran, after growing up attending GCU games. Did not need a campus visit before committing, saying, "When I was in high school, probably about 10 minutes from GCU, I wasn't going to ASU games. I was definitely going to GCU games."
Tulsa
Tulsa, Okla.2025-26 | Junior
- Started all 38 games for a Tulsa team that finished 30-8 and advanced to the NIT championship game.
- Averaged 6.5 points, a team-leading 5.2 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 21.6 minutes per game.
- Ranked third in the American Conference in plus/minus.
- Improved late in the season, averaging 8.3 points and 6.9 rebounds during March and April.
- Scored 16 points on perfect 8-of-8 shooting at UAB, the second-most field goals made without a miss in a game in Tulsa history.
- Scored 14 points at East Carolina and posted his first career double-digit scoring game with 10 points against San José State.
- Grabbed his first career double-digit rebound game with 11 against North Texas before setting a career high with 12 rebounds against Stephen F. Austin in the NIT.
2024-25 | Sophomore
- Appeared in 16 games during his first D-I season.
- Made his Tulsa debut and scored his first D-I points against Northeastern State on Nov. 4.
- Scored a season-high six points against Mississippi Valley State on Dec. 21.
- Grabbed a season-high five rebounds against Southwestern Christian on Dec. 28.
Olympic College
Bremerton, Wash.2021-22 | Freshman
- Played one season at Olympic College, while serving in the U.S. Navy and stationed aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt during the ship's retrofitting.
- Was discovered after an Olympic College assistant coach played against him in a local basketball league and recruited him to join the program.
- Appeared in all 28 games with 25 starts, averaging 14.4 points and 6.8 rebounds in 28.6 minutes per game.
- Shot 47.3% from the field and scored in double figures 20 times.
- Scored a season-high 25 points against Skagit Valley.
- Balanced basketball with active-duty responsibilities, occasionally missing practices because his Navy service remained his primary obligation.
Valley Lutheran HS
Phoenix, Ariz.- Finished his prep career at Valley Lutheran, located approximately three miles east of the GCU campus.
- Averaged 19.8 points over 23 games as a senior and scored more than 650 points during his junior and senior seasons.
- Grew to approximately 6-foot-7 by his senior season after previously playing freshman and junior varsity basketball at Flowing Wells in Tucson.
- Also played baseball as a first baseman and closer and drew more recruiting interest in baseball than basketball coming out of high school.
- Finished his senior basketball season by helping Valley Lutheran reach the Arizona 1A state quarterfinals.
- Regularly attended GCU basketball games during his high school years and recalled watching former Lope DeWayne Russell play in front of the Havocs.
Personal
- Served five years in the U.S. Navy before reaching the Division I level, spending time aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt with deployments that included Guam and Vietnam.
- Credits his Navy experience with teaching him responsibility, accountability and punctuality, saying, "It taught me how to be a man and grow up faster than maybe some would. Looking back, I appreciate everything about the Navy because it made me who I am. I wouldn't do anything different."
- Said his ultimate goal at GCU is reaching the NCAA Tournament: "I'll do anything to play in March Madness, for real."
- Mother, Hannah Simon, also served in the Navy as a medical corpsman. Father is Joseph Behrend.
- Began playing basketball at age 4 and grew several inches after graduating from high school, helping revive a basketball career he initially believed was over.
- Lists the Cincinnati Bengals and Cincinnati Reds among his favorite professional teams and LeBron James as his favorite NBA player.
- Favorite movie is Interstellar, favorite sports movie is Coach Carter and favorite vacation destination is Greece.
- Has said he hopes his journey inspires others, adding, "It's never too late. There's always time to go for what you want and always room to grow and get better."
Saturday, October 24
Tuesday, October 20
Tuesday, October 20
Sunday, October 11
