Mountain West Preview: Grand Canyon Has the Pieces — Now Comes the Hard Part

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Grand Canyon enters its second season in the Mountain West with more questions than its 20-win record from a year ago might suggest.

The Lopes finished 20–12 overall and 13–7 in their first Mountain West season, tying for third place before an 84–80 loss to Nevada ended their run in the conference tournament quarterfinals.

That team had experience, physicality and players who had already established what they brought to the floor.

A significant amount of that experience is gone.

Leading scorer Jaden Henley is no longer there. Brian Moore Jr. is gone from the backcourt. Nana Owusu-Anane, who rebounded, defended and connected different parts of the lineup, has moved on. The Lopes also lost 7-foot-2 Dennis Evans, who transferred to Oregon State after providing another rim-protecting option behind Efe Demirel.

Grand Canyon did not lose every important piece from last season, but it lost enough that this should not simply be called a reload.

This is a roster reconstruction.

And in the modern college game, assembling talent through the transfer portal is only the beginning.

The challenge is getting it to fit.

The Grand Canyon Identity Should Still Start With Pace

Grand Canyon has been comfortable playing with tempo and creating offense before the defense becomes completely established.

That should not change.

Bryce Drew has already emphasized the speed of this roster and Grand Canyon’s desire to get into the open floor. During summer workouts, the Lopes even worked with a three-second clock designed to reinforce how quickly they wanted to advance the basketball into offensive action.

That fits the identity.

Grand Canyon wants to run.

Its guards want to get downhill. Its wings fill space. Its frontcourt players have to run the floor and make themselves available before the defense can load up.

But there is a difference between playing fast and playing rushed.

That distinction may become one of the early tests for this roster.

With so many new players handling the basketball and learning one another, Grand Canyon has to maintain tempo without allowing transition basketball to turn into careless possessions.

The Lopes have the athletic pieces.

Now they have to establish the decision-making.

Makaih Williams Is More Than a Returning Scorer

The most important established perimeter piece is Makaih Williams.

The 6-foot-2 senior made a substantial jump last season, averaging 14.0 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.5 assists while earning third-team All-Mountain West honors.

Williams finished second on the team in scoring and led Grand Canyon with 56 made three-pointers. His production increased during conference play, when he averaged 15.2 points.

That matters because he has already seen the Mountain West.

He understands the physicality.

He understands the environments.

He understands what Drew expects.

With this much turnover, Williams becomes more than a returning scorer.

He becomes continuity.

Grand Canyon should also have the personnel to take some of the playmaking burden away from him. Instead of Williams constantly having to create the first advantage, the Lopes can use him after the defense has already shifted.

That can mean catching on the second side, attacking closeouts or finding scoring opportunities without having to dominate the basketball.

His 25-point performance against Nevada in the Mountain West tournament showed that he can produce when the game becomes difficult.

Grand Canyon will need that experience again.

Efe Demirel Has an Opportunity to Take Another Step

The frontcourt begins with Efe Demirel.

The 7-foot-1 sophomore started 28 games as a freshman and averaged 8.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.1 blocks while shooting 63 percent from the field.

Those are efficient numbers for a young center who was still learning the college game.

What matters now is his progression.

There were stretches last season when Demirel began to look more comfortable with the physical demands of the Mountain West. His size has never been the question. The next stage is learning how consistently to use it.

Grand Canyon needs him protecting the paint, rebounding his area, creating second possessions, running the floor and finishing what the guards create.

He does not have to become a high-volume scorer.

His value can come through efficiency.

Grand Canyon has added enough frontcourt size that Demirel will not have to handle every interior responsibility alone, but he is the most natural returning anchor around the basket.

If his physicality and defensive awareness take another step, the Lopes will have a dependable piece to build around inside.

Caleb Shaw Could Become an Important Connector

Caleb Shaw is another returning player whose value should not be judged only by his scoring average.

The 6-foot-6 wing averaged 7.8 points and 3.8 rebounds while shooting 48.5 percent from the field and 37 percent from three last season.

He appeared in 21 games and made 11 starts.

Grand Canyon will have several players coming from programs where they were accustomed to having the basketball and taking significant numbers of shots.

Every lineup cannot function that way.

Somebody has to connect possessions.

Somebody has to space correctly, make the extra pass, understand defensive rotations and remain productive without controlling the offense.

That is where Shaw can become valuable.

He already understands Drew’s system.

His size gives Grand Canyon defensive options on the wing, and his shooting can provide spacing around Demirel and the other frontcourt additions.

Williams, Demirel and Shaw do not represent overwhelming returning continuity.

But they represent enough continuity to help teach a reconstructed roster what Grand Canyon basketball is supposed to look like.

Jaden Zimmerman Has a Real Opportunity

Of all the incoming players, Jaden Zimmerman is one I will be watching closely.

The 6-foot-5, 205-pound guard arrives from Quinnipiac after earning All-MAAC Second Team honors.

Zimmerman averaged 15.1 points over 26 games, made a team-high 47 three-pointers and scored in double figures 21 times.

He produced five games of at least 20 points, including a season-high 26 at UCF, where he went 14-for-16 from the free-throw line.

That is proven scoring production.

Grand Canyon needs some of it.

The Lopes lost substantial scoring and experience from the perimeter, and Zimmerman’s size gives Drew another guard who can attack the basket and play above the rim.

But the real evaluation is not whether Zimmerman can average exactly 15.1 points again.

It is whether he can become efficient within a deeper collection of offensive players.

Grand Canyon will have Williams. Dylan Darling will have the basketball. Micah Tucker can create. There will be frontcourt players who need touches.

Zimmerman will have games when he is not the first option.

Can he still impact winning?

Can he defend?

Can he make the extra pass?

Can he attack a closeout instead of forcing a difficult first-side shot?

Can he consistently make the open three created by someone else’s penetration?

If those things happen, Zimmerman could become one of the most important additions on this roster.

Dylan Darling May Solve the Point Guard Question

The lead-guard position also received an experienced addition in Dylan Darling.

Darling comes from St. John’s, where he averaged 6.9 points, 2.6 assists and 1.4 steals while playing on a 30-win team that reached the Sweet 16.

Those numbers do not tell the entire story.

One season earlier at Idaho State, Darling averaged 19.8 points, 5.7 assists and 1.7 steals and was named Big Sky Player of the Year.

That tells you something about his versatility.

He has already been a featured scorer and primary playmaker.

He has also been required to fit into a deeper, more talented roster where winning did not require him to put up the same numbers.

That experience could be extremely important at Grand Canyon.

The Lopes do not need Darling chasing 20 points per game.

They need someone capable of controlling pace, getting the offense organized and understanding which player needs a touch.

With a roster this new, the point guard has to do more than bring the basketball across half court.

He has to help establish order.

Omaha Biliew Still Has Something to Prove

I have been familiar with Omaha Biliew going back to his high school career.

The résumé is well known.

The 6-foot-8, 230-pound forward was a McDonald’s All-American and was rated among the top prospects in the 2023 class, including a No. 11 national ranking from ESPN and Rivals.

He went to Iowa State before transferring to Wake Forest.

Now he arrives at Grand Canyon.

At some point, however, recruiting rankings become history.

Biliew still has something to prove on the floor.

He averaged 6.3 points and 2.4 rebounds last season while starting 24 games for Wake Forest. There were encouraging stretches, including stronger production during the NIT, but Grand Canyon needs consistency.

It needs him rebounding.

It needs him defending.

It needs him running the floor.

It needs him using his size and athletic ability without forcing the game.

Biliew does not have to become the player people projected him to be when he was a five-star high school prospect.

He has to become a dependable college basketball player who understands what helps Grand Canyon win.

That may actually be the better opportunity for him.

And if there is one thing Bryce Drew has shown throughout his time at Grand Canyon, it is the ability to find productive roles for players.

Blake Barkley’s Path Should Not Be Overlooked

Blake Barkley has one of the more interesting backgrounds among the newcomers.

The 6-foot-8 forward spent his first two college seasons at Northwestern but barely had an opportunity to establish himself there.

Then he moved to East Tennessee State.

Everything changed.

Barkley became ETSU’s leading scorer and rebounder, averaging 14.6 points and 5.8 rebounds while shooting 58.9 percent from the field and 38.3 percent from three.

He helped East Tennessee State win the Southern Conference regular-season championship.

That development is worth paying attention to.

Sometimes the issue is not whether a player has ability.

Sometimes it is whether he finds the right opportunity.

Barkley did.

Now Grand Canyon is getting a 6-foot-8 forward with legitimate Division I production rather than a player being projected only from potential.

The question becomes how that production translates to the Mountain West.

He will see more physical frontcourts and different defensive matchups, but his efficiency and ability to operate without monopolizing possessions could make him a natural fit.

Micah Tucker Gives Grand Canyon Another Creator

Micah Tucker gives Drew another guard who has already shown that he can handle responsibility.

As a freshman at Georgia State, the 6-foot-3 guard averaged 13.5 points, 3.0 assists and 1.0 steal while becoming a starter by the fourth game of the season.

He can get into the paint.

He can score through pull-ups and floaters.

He can push pace.

His presence means Grand Canyon does not have to place every ballhandling responsibility on Darling and Williams.

But once again, there is only one basketball.

The key will be whether Tucker can adjust from being an established starter at Georgia State to whatever role is required on a deeper Grand Canyon team.

Amarion Dickerson Gives the Defense Another Dimension

There is also Amarion Dickerson, and his addition could become important defensively.

The 6-foot-7 wing was the 2024–25 Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year at Robert Morris, where he averaged 13.3 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.3 blocks.

He later transferred to USC, but a fractured right hip ended his season after eight games.

Grand Canyon reported that he entered summer work without limitations.

If healthy, Dickerson gives Drew another player who can impact possessions without requiring shots.

That matters.

He has length.

He can defend.

He can provide help around the rim.

And on a roster loaded with offensive résumés, Grand Canyon will need players whose identity begins at the other end of the floor.

Tyler Behrend Brings Experience You Cannot Manufacture

Tyler Behrend is another piece worth understanding.

The 6-foot-10 veteran took an unusual route to Division I basketball, including five years of service in the United States Navy.

Last season, he started every game for a Tulsa team that finished 30–8 and reached the NIT championship game.

Behrend averaged 6.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.9 assists.

That does not jump off the page like some of the other transfer statistics.

It does not have to.

There is value in maturity.

There is value in having been part of a 30-win team.

There is value in rebounding, screening, passing and understanding that every possession does not have to end with your shot.

Grand Canyon needs some of that.

There Are Pieces Everywhere

Jaqari Miles adds another interesting option after helping Fullerton College finish 32–1 and win the California junior college state championship.

Miles averaged 12.5 points as a sophomore after averaging 14.6 as a freshman, and he has demonstrated the ability to shoot the basketball from the perimeter.

Jack Sawyer and Luke Shaw return after redshirt seasons, and freshman John Whorton adds another frontcourt developmental piece.

When you look across the roster, talent is not difficult to find.

What is difficult to identify in August is exactly how all of it fits together.

That is where this Grand Canyon evaluation becomes interesting.

The Biggest Question Is How Quickly This Team Jells

This is the part of Grand Canyon that has my attention.

The Lopes have pieces.

They have guards.

They have size.

They have scoring.

They have defensive potential.

They have players who have been successful at other programs.

But modern college basketball has created rosters that can look impressive in the summer and completely different once possessions actually matter.

How quickly can this group jell?

That is the question.

Who accepts fewer shots?

Who becomes the point guard when the game gets tight?

Who guards the other team’s best perimeter scorer?

Who rebounds outside his position?

Who makes the extra pass?

Who is comfortable affecting a game without seeing his scoring average from last season reproduced?

Those answers are more important than transfer rankings.

Seven of Grand Canyon’s incoming transfers have previously started at least 24 college games.

That experience is valuable.

It also means Drew is bringing together several players who are accustomed to significant roles.

The job now is turning individual experience into collective understanding.

Bryce Drew Is the Piece I Trust Most

The biggest reason I will not underestimate Grand Canyon is Bryce Drew.

He is the most important constant in this reconstruction.

Under Drew, Grand Canyon has built a winning tradition and made four NCAA Tournament appearances. The program has averaged more than 23 wins per season during his tenure.

He knows how he wants his teams to play.

He knows the environment.

He knows the expectations.

And he has shown that he can take players from different backgrounds and find roles that produce winning basketball.

That does not mean this roster should automatically be projected as a Mountain West champion.

It means the coach has earned enough credibility that I want to see the finished product before placing limitations on it.

Grand Canyon lost a lot.

That should not be minimized.

But it also brought in enough talent that I would not be surprised to see Drew eventually put another very good basketball team on the floor.

Why This Team Matters

Grand Canyon may be one of the most difficult teams in the Mountain West to evaluate before the season.

That makes the Lopes worth studying.

Williams gives them proven conference scoring.

Demirel gives them an improving interior presence.

Shaw supplies continuity.

Zimmerman brings scoring.

Darling brings point-guard experience.

Biliew brings physical tools and something to prove.

Barkley arrives with efficient production.

Tucker provides another creator.

Dickerson gives them defensive possibilities.

Behrend brings size, maturity and winning experience.

There are enough pieces.

Now we need to find out whether they complement each other.

Final Take

I am not ready to tell readers exactly what Grand Canyon will become in 2026–27.

I do believe the Lopes have enough talent to become a very good Mountain West team.

But there is a difference between having good players and becoming a good team.

Grand Canyon’s second season in the conference will come down to how quickly this reconstructed roster develops an identity.

Can they maintain the transition style without becoming careless?

Can the guards establish a hierarchy?

Can Demirel become a more consistent interior anchor?

Can Zimmerman translate his scoring without forcing offense?

Can Biliew turn his physical ability into dependable production?

Can players who were major contributors elsewhere accept smaller responsibilities when a particular game demands it?

Those are the questions.

Grand Canyon has a winning program, a good coach and an intriguing collection of talent.

That gives the Lopes a chance.

But nothing should be given to them before they prove it on the floor.

They have the pieces. Now comes the hard part.

At Unit 1 Hoop Source, we don’t chase noise — we study film, define roles, and project truth.

Subscribe to Unit 1 Hoop Source for continuing 2026–27 Mountain West team previews, newcomer evaluations and independent basketball analysis.

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