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GCU rising: the best-kept secret in Arizona basketball

Originally posted on Burn City Sports | By Reyna Stanley | Last updated Apr 13, 2025 9:16 AM ET

PHOENIX — Grand Canyon University is no longer just the fun campus with raucous student section and mid-major charm — it’s becoming a legitimate fore in Arizona basketball.

With back-to back NCAA Tournament appearances on the men’s side and a breakout 30-win season, WNIT title and their own first NCAA Tournament appearance for the women, GCU is quietly building a powerhouse in the heart of Phoenix. What was once seen as an ambitious upstart is now making a case to shed the mid-major label entirely.

Led by head coach Bryce Drew, the GCU men’s team has established itself as a perennial contender in the Western Athletic Conference. The Antelopes have not only won consistently, but have done so with high-level talent. GCU is starting to recruit on a national scale, pulling in players from Power Five programs and developing them into winners.

On the women’s side, head coach Molly Miller led the Lopes through a historic season, capping with a WNIT title and the program’s first 30-win campaign and NCAA Tournament appearance in school history. The success turned heads, and with their new head coach Winston Gandy, they look to continue to improve as a growing program.

There’s a growing sense that GCU’s programs are outgrowing their current conference and level of exposure. In a basketball-crazed state where Arizona and Arizona State dominate headlines, the Lopes are quietly becoming the most consistent and complete basketball brand.

They may have been the best-kept secret in Arizona basketball. But now? The word is out.

This article first appeared on Burn City Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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