By Jonathan Lidskin
That’s right folks. We had to wait a couple of games, but Grand Canyon is getting their star back. Tyon Grant-Foster, who was one of the breakout stars of last season, will make his season debut against Arizona State on Thursday.
Despite the season that the Lopes had, Grant-Foster’s crowning moment came in the first round when he had 22 points and seven rebounds to pace Grand Canyon in an upset win over Saint Mary’s. Grant-Foster also had a big game against Alabama in the second round, but the Lopes obviously fell short.
Now, Grant-Foster returns at the perfect time as GCU, who is now a known commodity, pushes for an at-large resumé this season. The Lopes are off to a 2-0 start after knocking off Cal State Fullerton in their opener and Western Kentucky last Saturday thanks to some late-game heroics from Ray Harrison.
Arizona State marks the first of three high-major non-conference games for GCU as the Lopes will also play Stanford and Georgia before opening WAC play on Jan. 4. The Lopes also have some tough mid-majors on their non-conference schedule including Louisiana Tech, UC Davis and Saint Louis.
Grant-Foster really is returning at a perfect time, not just for the team, but as he pushes for a legendary individual season himself. Now that the sport knows who he is, things like All-American honors are in play with a season like last. I even placed a long-shot bet in the preseason on him to win the Wooden Award. I understand that it isn’t likely, but with the number and some of the players he was behind, it was too good to pass up. Also, there is a precedent for mid-major players winning the Wooden Award.
After all of the off-season hype, the Lopes get their star back in what will be one of their most important games of the season. It’ll be Grand Canyon vs. Arizona State from the Footprint Center in Phoenix, AZ.
Other Games to Watch:
Northern Iowa @ Wichita State, 7:30 p.m. EST, ESPN+
LSU @ Kansas State, 9:00 p.m. EST, ESPN+