How can GCU become Top 25 program?
Since Dan Majerle arrived to lead Grand Canyon into Division I men’s basketball, he said the goal was to make it a Top 25 program.
He is now his sixth year and the Antelopes are still looking to crack the nation’s Top 25 for the first time.
The Antelopes play in the Western Athletic Conference, which hasn’t exactly produced Top 25 teams.
When will GCU arrive?
Majerle believes this team is getting close.
The Antelopes are 4-3 with the losses coming at South Dakota State (79-74) and on a neutral court in the Wooden Legacy against Seton Hall (82-75) and Utah (75-66).
Their next two games come Saturday night at home against Boise State (2-4) and Dec. 9 at Talking Stick Resort Arena against fifth-ranked Nevada (7-0) in the Jerry Colangelo Classic.
After that, they play on Dec. 15 at 17th-ranked Texas (5-1).
GCU can make a nice little statement by winning its next three and prove that it learned some things from the close, tough losses to South Dakota State, Seton Hall and Utah.
“We’re close,” Majerle said. “I hate it (that we lost). But we made a lot of strides. We can play with anybody. It was disappointing because I thought we could have done a lot better. We played some good competition and we have to move forward.”
What will it take? Rebound the ball
Majerle has his biggest team since he’s been at GCU.
Michael Finke, 6-foot-10, is a seasoned veteran who has been through the rigors of Big Ten basketball, playing at Illinois. He adds that punch to the frontcourt, but he’s more of stretch power forward whose ability to knock down 3s should open up the floor.
The Antelopes have not been a good 3-point shooting team. And last year’s All-WAC first-team player Alessandro Lever has been inconsistent. He started to play like the 6-10 sophomore that the WAC coaches voted as the Preseason Player of the Year against Seton Hall with 20 points and six rebounds.
But he needs to be crashing the boards harder, along with 6-10 sophomore Roberts Blumbergs, who has become too content with taking the 3.
In all three of GCU’s losses, the Antelopes were outrebounded.
“Going into the (Wooden) tournament, we were one of the best rebounding teams in the country,” Finke said. “Then we got outrebounded in the tournament. It was definitely an eye opener for us to know we have to go after it all the time. We can’t just rely on our size. We have athletes. We have to use our positioning and go in there.”
On that end, 6-7 junior wing Oscar Frayer has to show up on the glass. He’s too athletic and fast not be a factor not only on the boards but on offense. He has a dynamic skill set who has the ability to get offensive rebounds and score on put-backs. Frayer had only four points and three rebounds against Seton Hall and five points and four rebounds against Utah.
Attack the glass
GCU has a tendency to settle for 3pointers. Majerle isn’t going to get down on his guys for missing them when they’re open. But if they’re making them, they need to attack the paint, get the ball inside to Lever or Finke and try to play a little bully ball.
Freshman guard Tim Finke has become GCU’s most reliable 3-point shooter off the bench. He made 4 of 8 3s against Utah and hit the only 3 he took against Seton Hall. He needs to keep taking them. His confidence is starting to soar.
Sophomore point guard Damari Milstead has a toughness to do that. He was really good against Seton Hall, coming off the bench to score 21 points, including a basket in the paint late in the game that gave GCU a lead.
Starting point guard Trey Drechsel uses his length to make quick passes and find scoring opportunities, but he has started out slowly in recent games. He had only three points and one assist in 18 minutes against Seton Hall and 10 points and three assists and two turnovers against Utah.
Senior leadership
Besides Michael Finke and Drechsel, the Antelopes need Gerard Martin and Matt Jackson for toughness and leadership. Both have been providing quality minutes off the bench.
Martin’s numbers are never going to stand out. But his hustle, the way he positions himself to draw charges, his long arms and his intensity on the defensive end should become more infectious with everybody else.
Jackson, slowed earlier in his career by back surgeries, is having his most consistent season, helping out on the glass and scoring when needed. Those two guys are valuable assets.
Closing out games
The Seton Hall game is a great example of GCU getting close but not able to close the deal.
It has to find that killer instinct at the end of games, know how to put away good teams, and clamp down on opposing team’s go-to scorers.
Seton Hall closed late to beat GCU after the Antelopes took a one-point lead. Turnovers, ill-advised shot and defensive lapses have hurt them in crunch time against good teams.
These next few weeks will go a long way into seeing how much Majerle’s team has improved to becoming that Top 25 program. But it’s going to take a little bit of everything from everyone to get there.
“Just learning how to win, completing plays,” Majerle said. “But I’m happy. I think we’re close. I think our guys are starting to realize what it takes.”