The Grandest Canyon: HoopsHD visits the Lopes

Some of the perks of being in Phoenix in February include the record-high 90-degree weather, spending some quality uncle time with my niece/nephew, and getting to visit some friends who I have not see in ages. 1 of those friends happens to work at Grand Canyon University, so last Thursday I got to join her in the 3rd row behind the home team bench for my 1st-ever game at GCU Arena. The Lopes’ 22-4 record was among the best in the nation and they were feeling confident about facing a sub-.500 UMKC team.

I arrived to find a statue of an antelope greeting me by the entrance to the campus…followed by a ton of fans who beat me there and forced me to park on the top level of the parking garage adjacent to the arena. The pregame atmosphere was great and rivaled that of most D-1 programs: band behind the basket, cheerleaders on the court, fans in the Havocs student section passing a huge banner over their heads while wearing brightly colored shirts for “Neon Night”, player intros with loud music and spotlights, a mascot that actually looked like an antelope, etc. The 1 thing that I had never seen before was a pregame prayer, but as GCU is a private Christian university I suppose that is par for the course. Growing up in Phoenix I was a huge Suns fan, so to be sitting only a few feet behind current GCU head coach/former Suns All-Star Dan Majerle was quite a treat.

The most athletic feat of the night was actually the halftime entertainment: a guy who balanced himself on 1 hand! I left a little early in the 2nd half to beat the 6000 fans who parked in the garage whose cars were parked closer to the exit than mine was, but I did not jinx the home team as they won by double-digits thanks to 26 PTS from Joshua Braun and a double-double from Grandy Glaze (my new favorite college basketball name). The Lopes will have a hard time winning out due to 1 of the best non-conference games remaining in the nation looming next week (at 22-4 St. Mary’s on March 1st), but even if they can catch New Mexico State to win the WAC regular season title they are ineligible for the WAC tourney/NCAA tourney/NIT. However, if you think anyone is looking forward to playing a possible-25-win GCU team in the CIT/CBI next month, think again. It was a great evening of basketball and once the Lopes become eligible for postseason play in the spring of 2018, watch out!

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