Grand Canyon Off To Best Start Under Bryce Drew, Is This His Best Team?

The Grand Canyon Antelopes have experienced unprecedented success in the first 10 years of Division I existence. Since moving up to the other NCAA top division in 2013-14, Grand Canyon has won over 200 games, accumulating 20+ wins six times. The Antelopes have also captured three WAC championships, all under coach Bryce Drew's direction. Is this year's Drew's best team?

Grand Canyon hired Drew on March 17, 2020, to replace former Phoenix Suns star Dan Majerle. Since arriving on the Phoenix (AZ) campus, Drew has led the Antelopes to a 75-28 overall record and 33-15 in WAC play. Drew guided GCU to a WAC regular season championship and an NCAA tournament bid in his first season. He also led the Lopes back to the NCAA tournament last season after they won their second WAC tournament title.

Grand Canyon Off To Fantastic Start In 2023-24

Grand Canyon has won 23+ games in each of the last two seasons. But GCU is off to its best start since 1996. GCU improved to 11-1 with a 126-74 victory over NCCAA-member Bethesda University (CA) on Wednesday night, despite Drew resting his top three scorers. The victory, in front of military personnel at Luke Air Force Base, was the Lopes' eighth straight, their longest streak since 2020-21.

While their top three scorers didn't play, GCU set a season-high in points as eight players reached double figures. The 124 points were a program record as a Division I member, as were their 53 field goals and field goal attempts (88). The Lopes' 11 blocks were also a D-I record, while their 31 assists and 14 steals rank second in their history.

Jovan Blacksher Jr., who returned from January knee surgery three games ago, led with 24 points. Senior Josh Baker chipped in 11 points while setting records with nine assists and four steals. Several players who hit double-figures set or tied personal-best numbers, including Derrick Michael Xzavario. Xzavario, Indonesia's first D-I scholarship player, recorded his first double-double.

"We had the one game (open to add to the schedule)," Drew said. "We were looking to see when Josh Baker and Jovan Blacksher Jr. were going to be ready to play (coming off of injuries) because we wanted to get an extra game in for them to be able to get minutes and play. That was the main centerpiece that we tried to center it around. Then we wanted to be able to get some of our guys who haven't had a chance to play a lot of minutes to get out and play. Really pleased."

Grand Canyon has one more nonconference game before getting into the meat of WAC play. GCU closes its nonconference slate by hosting Louisiana Tech (9-4) on December 30. This will be the first career meeting between the Lopes and Bulldogs.

WAC Favorites

The Western Athletic Conference has gone through several makeovers throughout its 62-year existence. This year's season edition of the WAC features 11 teams, two fewer than last year. Each team will play 20 conference contests rather than 18 like last year.

Grand Canyon was chosen as the favorite to win the WAC in 2023-24 as the Lopes returned their leading two scorers from last year's conference championship. It was also known that Blacksher, the WAC 2022-23 preseason POY pick, and Baker, who was coming off shoulder surgery, would return at some point. Plus, Drew added several D-I transfers.

Grand Canyon sits atop the WAC standings at 2-0 in the early going. GCU already has conference victories at UT-Rio Grand Valley (79-69) and at home versus UT-Arlinglington (76-69). Tarleton State (8-4) and Utah Valley (5-7) are also 2-0 in conference play.

National Recognition

Grand Canyon has never been ranked since becoming a D-I member. But the Lopes did receive three votes in the latest Associated Press poll. Grand Canyon is also No. 41 in the NET rankings, the program's highest ever. GCU is 3-1 in Quad I games, with quality victories over San Francisco, San Diego State, and Liberty. Their lone loss is a seven-point setback (75-68) to South Carolina, who is 11-1 on the season and has a NET ranking of 43.

Grand Canyon is a top 75 squad in offensive (No. 22) and defensive efficiency (74th). GCU is 34th in scoring at 83.4 points a game as they are 39th in shooting at 48.5%, thanks to being incredibly efficient on two-point attempts (58.2%). The Lopes also do a fantastic job getting to the line and on the offensive glass.

Defensively, Grand Canyon allows 68.0 points a game, which ranks 110th nationally. But the Lopes are much better than that number may indicate, as they hold opponents to 40.8% (88th) shooting from the field. The Lopes also limit their opponents to 45.8% (56th) on their two-point attempts and defend the 3-point line pretty well. They are also 66th in steals (8.4) and 18th in blocked shots (5.6).

Top Players

With everyone now healthy for the Lopes, Drew may have decisions to make about playing time. Eight players have appeared in at least 10 of the first 12 contests, while 10 players average 10 or more minutes. Over the first 11 games, Drew has played his top 3 players an average of at least 33 minutes a game. So, something has to change.

Tyon Grant-Foster

Grand Canyon is Grant-Foster's fourth school. Before joining the Lopes, the 6-foot-7 grad student had only played in one game since the 2021-22 season due to medical issues. Now healthy, he is one of the top players in the WAC. Grant-Foster leads the conference and is 13th in the nation with 20.9 points. He is 11th in the conference in rebounds (6.0), third in FG% (47.7%), fifth in steals (1.8) and seventh in blocks (1.3).

Rayshon Harrison

Harrison was selected as the WAC's 2023-24 Preseason Player of the Year. The 2022-23 WAC tournament MOP is one of the best two-way players in the WAC. He is a pure scorer who is struggling to shoot the ball in the early going. Harrison has scored in double-figures in nine of 11 games this year, topping the 20-point mark on three occasions. Harrison ranks in the top 10 of the WAC in scoring (14.1) and assists (3.8).

Gabe McGothan

A redshirt senior, McGothan became the 27th player in Grand Canyon history to surpass 1,000 points for his career earlier this season. The 2023-24 all-WAC Preseason First Team selection is a highly efficient player who excels on the glass. Offensively, he is excellent around the rim, though the 6-foot-7 forward can shoot it from beyond the arc. McGothan, also a physical defender, averages 13.0 points and 8.3 rebounds on the season.

Jovan Blacksher

While Blacksher is coming off a severe injury, the 5-foot-11 point guard was on an upward trajectory before the setback. The 2019-20 WAC Rookie of the Year garnered several all-conference accolades in his first three collegiate seasons, including the 2022-23 WAC Preseason POY. He is uber-athletic, a good distributor, and a pesky defender.

Collin Moore

Moore is super athletic and thrives at slashing to the basket and on the defensive end. However, the 6-foot-3 has improved his perimeter shooting. He averages 9.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.9 steals this year. Moore also has produced a shooting slash line of .458/.389/.789.

Duke Brennan

Brennan, who transferred from Arizona State this past summer, was named WAC Newcomer of the Week on December 26. The 6-foot-10 sophomore center earned the honor due to his career-high 19-point and 10-rebound performance against Sam Houston on Dec. 20. It was his second career double-double. Brennan averages 8.0 points and 5.7 caroms for the year.