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Grand
Canyon Antelopes Updated 03/24/24 |
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Location:
Phoenix, AZ Enrollment:
20,000 Cost of Attendance: $32,000 Venue: Global Credit Union Arena Arena Capacity: 7,000 Conference: WAC (1st) Record: 30-4
(17-3) NET Rank: 50 Committee Rank:
47 Tournament History Appearances:
2 Final Fours:
0 Championships:
0 Win-Loss:
0-2 Most Recent:
2022, lost to #3 Gonzaga as a #14 seed, 70-82 |
Grand Canyon University Grand Canyon University (GCU) is a for-profit, private, Christian university in Phoenix, Arizona. Note it is in PHOENIX NOT AT THE GRAND CANYON. It's about 200 miles from the Grand Canyon. Based on student enrollment, Grand Canyon University was the largest Christian university in the world in 2018, with 20,000 attending students on campus and 70,000 online.
Grand Canyon was established by the Arizona Southern Baptist Convention in 1949 in Prescott, Arizona, as Grand Canyon College. In 1999 2000, the university ended its affiliation with the Southern Baptist Convention. Suffering financial and other difficulties in the early part of the 21st century, the school's trustees authorized its sale in January 2004 to California-based Significant Education, LLC, making it the first for-profit Christian college in the United States. Following that purchase, the university became the first and only for-profit to participate in NCAA Division I athletics. Due to GCU's for-profit
status, Arizona State University had refused to play against GCU in any
sport, even though both are NCAA Division I schools and located only 16 miles
apart. ASU eventually reversed its decision, and sporting events between the
two universities resumed in the fall of 2020. Over the years, GCU has attempted
several times to gain non-profit status, largely to avoid an annual $9.2
million property tax bill. However the
US Department of Education has not approved the switch due to the university's
very close relationship with Grand Canyon Education, a for-profit corporation
that shares some of the same board members with GCU. The Grand Canyon Antelopes (more commonly referred to as the Lopes) are the 21 athletic teams representing Grand Canyon University. Most of the university's athletic teams compete at the NCAA Division I level in the Western Athletic Conference. Men's volleyball competes in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF). The beach volleyball program competes as an independent.
The men's basketball team made the leap to NCAA Division I in 2013. During their time as a member of the NAIA, they were national champions in 1975, 1978, and 1988. The 2020 21 Grand Canyon Antelopes men's basketball team became the first ever Grand Canyon team to go to Division I tournament, being seeded 15. They lost in the first round to #2 Iowa. They returned two years later in 2023, losing again in the first round to #3 Gonzaga. Bryce Drew Grand Canyon is coached by Bryce Drew. That name sounds kind of familiar. Bryce previously served as the head coach of Vanderbilt (3 seasons) and, prior to that, at his alma mater, Valparaiso (5 seasons), having succeeded his father, Homer Drew. Bryce's brother, Scott, also coached at Valpo before becoming the head coach of the Baylor Bears.
13-seed Valpo was down by two points to 4-seed Ole Miss with 2.5 seconds to go, inbounding from the far end of the court. A well designed and executed play starting from a baseball pass half the length of the court ended in the hands of Bryce, shooting before time expired, sinking the shot. Valpo won by one point. This sequence of events is forever known as "the shot" on Valpo's campus. Bryce went on to play six seasons in the NBA as a backup point guard for the Houston Rockets, Chicago Bulls, Charlotte Hornets and New Orleans Hornets. Bryce is in his fourth year as coach of the Lopes, taking the Lopes to all of their DI tournament appearances, three in the last four years. Their mascot's name is Thunder the Antelope. "LOPES UP"
And, perhaps you missed this earlier: THEY HAVE BEACH VOLLEYBALL.
They are 350 miles away from the nearest beach. They are in the middle of a freakin desert. |
