1 day Ago By AZCentral | The Arizona Republic
Grand Canyon basketball coach Bryce Drew will have to rebuild his roster through the portal after leading the Lopes to four NCAA Tournaments in five years.His 26-8 team that lost to Maryland in the first round was a veteran group with top players JaKobe Coles, Tyon Grant-Foster, Collin Moore and Lok Wur all running out of college eligibility. Center Duke Brennan, a 6-foot-10 junior, is the only starter who has eligibility remaining, but, according to reports, has entered the transfer portal.
GCU loses its top four scorers if Brennan doesn't opt to return. He averaged 10.4 points and led the team with 9.
2 rebounds.Guard Makaih Williams averaged 8.2 points and guard Caleb Shaw 6.
1 points. Those could be the two biggest players returning to the Lopes, if they don't take the portal route. Williams transferred in last year from UT Arlington, and Shaw two years ago from Northern Colorado.
Three true freshmen, led by 6-foot-2 guard Styles Phipps, entered the portal last week. Phipps has indicated he is keeping his options open with a chance of returning to GCU.Other freshmen in the portal are 7-foot center Austin Mauer and 6-8, 240-pound power forward Sammie Yeanay.
Mauer, who was the Gatorade Oregon High School Player of the Year in his senior year, played in only 20 games, and scant minutes at that. Yeanay, a four-star recruit from AZ Compass Prep, played in only five games.Phipps, a two-time Arizona Republic All-Arizona selection at Phoenix St.
Mary's, who missed part of this season with a hand injury, played in 20 games, averaging 7.9 minutes, 2.1 points and one assist.
This is the biggest rebuild job for Drew since taking over the program after the 2020 season.Forward Traivar Jackson, who was going to redshirt this season, ended up playing in 11 games after the NCAA Division I Board of Directors approved a waiver to grant another year of eligibility to junior college transfers who would have exhausted their eligibility in the 2024-25 season.If the NCAA settlement with the House is settled, Division I basketball teams could each give 15 scholarships, which is two more than the current limitations.
The Arizona Republic will track the portal as the Lopes look for talent to build the 2025-26 roster. Keep coming back for updates. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: GCU center Duke Brennan has entered the transfer portal.
