Grand Canyon men looking for return to NCAA tourney
It’s like having two conferences in one this year with the expanded Western Athletic Conference.
But coach Bryce Drew, in his second season leading Grand Canyon men’s basketball with a whole new system, made sure he loaded up to be ready for the increased competition to make a run at a second straight NCAA Tournament.
He needed to make sure Jovan Blacksher Jr., got help in the backcourt.
Check. He took care of that with the addition of Holland Woods II, who went from Portland State to Arizona State and now is at GCU.
He needed to make sure the Antelopes didn’t lose the rebounding edge.
Check. He took care of that bringing in 6-foot-9, 255-pound power forward Yvan Ouedraogo and 6-10, 245-pound Aidan Igiehon. Ouedraogo, originally from France, transferred from Nebraska. Igiehon, who had little playing time last year because of an injury, arrived from Louisville.
Ouedraogo was impressive in the blowout exhibition win over Western New Mexico, attacking the glass.
Igiehon’s last game was Dec. 9, and he didn’t play a lot of minutes in his first two years at Louisville. But he’s another big presence on the glass. He was out all summer after surgery while rehabbing an injury. “We’re trying to get every minute, every rep out there to find his game,” Drew said.
This could be a good rebounding team with the relentlessness. Gabe McGlothan, who was an energizer off the bench on the glass last year, again will provide that hustle, the ability to rebound on the offensive end and keep possessions alive.
Forward Taeshon Cherry, a 6-8 transfer from ASU, can stretch the floor with his ability to hit 3-pointers.
“In practice, it’s really physical with guys going in for rebounds,” Drew said. “That’s going to have to be a big part of our identity this year.
“We brought in physical players that we’re comfortable playing. The big thing for us is going to be rebounding. We’ll have to play really hard to get 5050 balls and rebound.”
A faster team that will get off shots
quickly and crash the boards to try to clean up any missed shots is what Drew is counting on his season to combat New Mexico State, which is favored to win the WAC by the coaches and the media in preseason polls.
But it won’t just be the Aggies who will be the Lopes’ biggest concern to get back to March Madness.
Texas schools Abilene Christian, Stephen F Austin, Lamar, Sam Houston State join what is now the 13-team WAC. Those schools all left the Southland Conference.
Next year, Southern Utah leaves the Big Sky for the WAC.
It remains to be seen if the new additions will turn the WAC into more than just a one-team automatic bid league or if there could be an at-large berth coming out of the conference.
But the Antelopes believe in themselves, feeling the connection since the summer workouts.
“They’ll be good,” Blacksher said about the eight newcomers. “We’re still figuring it out. It’s still early.”
The Blacksher-Woods backcourt chemistry has a chance to be special.
In a blowout exhibition win against Western New Mexico, they both led the offense at times, setting each other up for open shots.
Drew will have to figure how to use all of the talent on board when the regular season starts at 7 p.m. Tuesday with a home game against Grambling State.