8/12/2023 0 Comments Bryce drew![]() The dream is to build GCU into a monster mid-major basketball program patterned after the likes of Gonzaga. And I told him that."ĭrew could come out of this season as a hot coaching commodity, but he's found his happy place in the Christian environment of GCU with the leadership and vision of Mueller, Colangelo and Athletic Director Jamie Boggs. "He was outstanding in terms of his coaching. "At the dance for the second time in three years, it's a great tribute to Bryce," said Jerry Colangelo, the former Suns owner who has been alongside GCU President Brian Mueller in the moves the school's made since becoming Division I. But the Lopes needed Drew to adjust his defense from time to time, going from man-to-man to zone to a rare triangle-and-two in the second half that stemmed the tide against Sam Houston and allowed the Lopes to make their final surge to pull off the upset. It helps to shoot better than 50% in every game since the six-game winning streak started. And they're leading themselves right now." "And it's been awesome as a coach to kind of sit back and let it be a player-led team. "They took a lot of ownership," Drew said. The next night, they rolled through Southern Utah and then Utah Tech a couple of days later, kick-starting this drive to the WAC title by winning four games without a bye. He points to the players meeting on their own before playing at Southern Utah on the last night of February. GCU rebounded and the Lopes won 78-75.īryce Drew deflects credit. After Ezeagu missed the first free throw, Drew called time out. With GCU leading 76-75 and eight seconds left, Sam Houston's Kaosi Ezeagu was on the line to shoot two free throws. That led to Bryce Drew's shot which shocked the college basketball world.ĭrew made a move similar to his father's in the WAC semifinal against top seed Sam Houston. Grand Canyon NCAA primer: Lopes ready to face basketball giant Gonzaga in March Madnessīefore that play, Mississippi's Ansu Sesay was on the line with less than 10 seconds left and a chance to put the game away. You need ups and downs to develop character." It's really hard to run the table and then win at the end. "The ups and downs of our season, then you get to March. And teach them what it takes to really win. Now we can get back the next day in practice and he can just get them with discipline and accountability. ![]() We needed games like when we went to Tarleton and got our butt kicked (an 81-62 WAC loss on Jan. ![]() You have to learn how to lose before you can learn how to win. ![]() "I think there's a method to it, like this season. And he has a vision in a game that's incredible. "It's the best basketball IQ of any coach I've ever seen," said GCU assistant coach Casey Shaw, who is married to Drew's sister. 3-seeded Gonzaga in the first round on Friday.Īnd third-year GCU coach Bryce Drew is pressing all the right buttons, He's calm and cool amid the storm, finding a way through the madness that could have ended up as a disastrous season after losing the star player in early January. And they are now dancing, heading to Denver as the 14 seed in the NCAA West Region to take on No. They overcame foul trouble to their stars, they lit it up from behind the arc and they were clutch down the stretches of every game. The Antelopes had their first WAC sweep of two teams this season, beating Southern Utah and Utah Tech on the road.Īs a 5 seed, they gutted out four wins in five days in Las Vegas to claim the Western Athletic Conference Tournament championship, the lowest seed to do that in the WAC since 2001. When March hit, Grand Canyon was a different college basketball team. ![]()
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