How transfers elevated Grand Canyon men's basketball and into another NCAA Tournament
In order to win now, like most college coaches these days, Grand Canyon men's basketball coach Bryce Drew took a deep dive into the transfer portal, searching for just the right traits that would allow the team to take it to another level.
Every year since Drew got to Phoenix four years ago, he has rebuilt his roster through the portal.
Last offseason, Drew and his staff struck gold, finding 6-foot-7 guard Tyon Grant-Foster, 6-10 center Duke Brennan, 6-4 guard Collin Moore and 6-9 forward Lok Wur, along with 6-8 forward Sydney Curry, 6-6 guard Malcolm Flaggs and 6-5 guard Caleb Shaw.
The first four have contributed in ways that turned GCU into the winningest team (29-4) in its 11-year Division I history. Some college basketball experts are picking the Lopes to pull off a first-round upset in the NCAA Tournament on Friday night when No. 12 Grand Canyon takes on No. 5 Saint Mary's College at Spokane Arena.
More: Grand Canyon basketball: What to know about GCU Antelopes men's team in 2024 March Madness
Three of the transfers — Grant-Foster, Moore and Brennan — all start. Wur is first off the bench. Especially down the stretch, Wur has been a valuable piece, jump-starting the Lopes' offense at times with 3-pointers, and creating problems defensively for opponents.
"It was a lot of work," Drew said of the transfer portal. "That form of recruiting is a lot of work, a lot of time spent, a lot of visits. We're thankful for the guys that chose to come to GCU. We feel they've really implemented in our team really well."
Drew said returning players were involved in the recruiting. It was paramount to Drew that they all got along, because without chemistry, there is no trust.
The connectedness of this group, especially during stretches that appear bleak that pulls them out of trouble, their ability to close games when the game is still in doubt shows how much they care about each other.
"We wanted to make sure they got along and were on board with guys we were bringing in," Drew said. "I think that was a big key. If we had players that they didn't like, we stopped recruiting them. I really credit our team for help building their team with guys they want in that locker room."
Veterans Gabe McGlothan, Jovan Blacksher Jr., and Preseason WAC Player of the Year Ray Harrison all were valuable in bringing those guys to this team.
Harrison, who tested the NBA draft waters in the offseason after leading the Lopes into the NCAA Tournament last year with four sensational games in four days in the WAC Tournament, kept his ego out of it. He was happy to see Grant-Foster emerge this year after he hadn't played in two years and become the school's first WAC Player of the Year at the end of the regular season.
He also welcomed Moore to the backcourt with open arms, as Blacksher still was on the mend from last year's ACL surgery that ended his season on Jan. 5, 2023.
"It's just different," Harrison said last week ahead of the WAC Tournament. "But I feel like it's what's best for us at the right moment.
"I feel like having all these weapons and options helps. A team can game plan for a specific attack. But we've got so many different options."
Fitting together
They each add a piece that makes everything fit.
Grant-Foster is a dynamic three-level player who became a defensive force, a rim protector, who picks his spots, finds an angle, and drives into the lane, around or over a defender. He's either scoring or getting fouled, and feasting on the line. He has made 193 of 252 free throws. His 20-points-a-game average led the WAC. He leads the team with 45 blocked shots.
Moore also has a long wingspan. He's a talented defender, who is bullish in his style of play. He plays downhill, sometimes finding creases for dunks that electrify the sellout crowds at Global Credit Union Arena. His 61 steals lead the team.
Brennan's toughness has been valuable, the way he'll take hits and continuing to play through the pain, as he sacrifices his body for loose balls and rebounds. He cracked a couple of teeth against California Baptist late in the final regular-season game.
Wur is silky smooth, gliding through the lane for baskets. But his biggest value comes from his 3-point shooting and defense. The way he came on during the second half of the season gave the Lopes a boost that has them with their best NCAA Tournament seeding in their three years making the Big Dance. He has made 26 of 77 3-pointers. His 30 blocks are second on the team. Wur had two outstanding performances in Las Vegas, earning a spot on the all-tournament team with Grant-Foster and Harrison.
McGlothan, who made first-team All-WAC this season, said he knew Grant-Foster would stand out in the first minutes he's ever played in a conference tournament. He didn't see the floor for Kansas in the conference tournament, before transferring to DePaul, where his season ended after the first half of the season opener. He collapsed in the locker room, had to be revived in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. He couldn't play basketball for 16 months, after undergoing two heart surgeries.
"He didn't need much help out there," McGlothan said when asked how he was able to help Grant-Foster this season.
Grant-Foster put together back-to-back monster games in Vegas, as GCU pulled out wins against Seattle U and UT Arlington.
"He was going to win it himself if he had to," McGlothan said. "I love that for him. He's a warrior. When he gets set on something, he's going to go do it. That's the way he's been living. I'm so proud of him. That hug, where he embraced after the game, it meant more than just that moment. The joy that we have for each other, the love that we have, all the adversity that he's embraced, it's all blooming. I love seeing him get his flowers."
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: How 4 transfers elevated Grand canyon basketball for March Madness
