GCU Adds Depth, Passionate Fanbase to Mountain West Conference
Photo of Global Credit Arena in Phoenix, Arizona, courtesy of Grand Canyon University Athletics.
For one more season, the Mountain West Conference will still have a few of the best venues in college basketball.
On Tuesday, it added another one.
Grand Canyon University is set to join the Mountain West Conference for the 2025-26 academic year.
“GCU is excited for this opportunity for our student-athletes, the Havocs and our fanbase” GCU Vice President of Athletics Jamie Boggs said. “After winning 76 conference championships, this opportunity best positions GCU to be nationally competitive, and we are excited about the future of the mountain west conference.”
GCU will compete in 17 sports beginning in the fall. Grand Canyon does not have a football program.
The strength of GCU athletics has been by and large its men’s basketball program. GCU men’s basketball went 26-8 last season, winning its third consecutive WAC Tournament Championship while losing 81-49 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to Maryland.
Photo of GCU Head Coach Bryce Drew. Drew led GCU to its first ever Division I NCAA Tournament Win over Saint Mary’s in 2024. Courtesy of Grand Canyon University Athletics.
GCU head men’s basketball coach Bryce Drew has built a consistent NCAA Tournament contender in his five seasons in Phoenix.
He has a record of 120-40, with four WAC Tournament Championships and four NCAA Tournament appearances. The Lopes knocked off Saint Mary’s 75-66 in the 2024 NCAA Tournament to advance to the second round.
A New Herd
Like the UNM men’s basketball team, GCU will be rebuilding or as some people like to call it “reloading.”
Grand Canyon welcomes 10 newcomers, but Drew is optimistic about his new group.
“The energy they've had and already the built-in chemistry that they've shown this week has just been really enjoyable,” Drew said after GCU opened summer workouts in June.
GCU has also gotten some national recognition for its transfer portal class.
One of the new Lopes is UNLV transfer guard Jaden Henley. Henley had 14 points and four rebounds in his lone game in The Pit last season. He also went 3-of-6 from 3.
Other new additions to the GCU backcourt include Norfolk State transfer Brian Moore Jr. and Gonzaga transfer Dusty Stromer. Last season Moore averaged 18.7 points, 3.3 assists, and 3.4 rebounds and won the Lou Henson Award, given to the top mid-major player in the nation. Stromer, a California native, appeared in 34 games for the Zags last season and averaged 4.3 points per game.
GCU has added some notable frontcourt depth as well. Graduate power forward Nana Owusu-Anane transferred from Brown. He’s listed at 6-foot-8, 220 llbs and was an All-Ivy League second-team honoree before missing last season with a partially torn labrum.
Wreaking Havoc
The Mountain West has some of most respected atmospheres in college hoops. It features passionate fan sections like The Show at San Diego State and The Herd at Utah State. But let’s be clear— nothing tops 15,000 + screaming Lobo fans in The Pit.
The Havocs should fit right in with other MWC student sections.
Similar to The Herd, they are an organized group of mostly students who researches opposing teams players and try to create pandemonium at GCU home games. The Havocs pack the smaller Global Credit Union Arena, a venue that seats just over 7,000.
The Havocs are also known to travel and had a good showing in GCU’s NCAA Tournament game last year in Seattle.
Lobos vs. Lopes Series
UNM and GCU have played five times. UNM is 4-1 in the series, with the last game being played in The Pit on December 17, 2019, a 91-71 Lobo win. The Lobos lost 68-65 in their only trip to Global Credit Union Arena back in 2014. This was when GCU made the jump to Division I Basketball in 2013, UNM won the contest 80-68.
UNM men’s basketball coach Eric Olen is 4-4 vs. GCU, all games coming when Olen was an assistant at UC San Diego between 2005-2012. Both GCU and UCSD were NCAA Division II schools at the time.
Schedules for Mountain West basketball have not been released. GCU is expected to be integrated into all other existing Mountain West schedules beginning with fall sports.
