On the bus ride to the arena, Alexander and Braun are among a
handful of players discussing their favorite Bible verses.
“We’re trying to make it where it’s a constant thing and not just when
we’re about to play a game,” Alexander says. “I think it’s a consistency of
reminding yourself to rely on God regardless of the outcome.”
In the stands behind the Lopes’ bench, GCU President/CEO Brian
Mueller looks like a proud papa as he surveys the scene.
“We came to Grand Canyon University six years ago, so for us to be
here in six years is unbelievable. It’s truly remarkable,” he says. “It’s the
result of the hard work of thousands of people, everybody who runs our
online program, all the people who come to work every day and work so
hard in our traditional central ground campus, and then, of course, you
put the right pieces in place with Mr. Colangelo and Coach Majerle.”
The anticipation builds as the Lopes warm up and the stands fill.
With the opening tipoff less than 45 minutes away, Majerle and Lee
bring the team back in the locker room for one last rundown of what
to expect on offense and defense, and at the end they go around the
room and ask individual players to give a scouting report on each
Kentucky player’s tendencies, based on the film the Lopes have
studied. Every single player rips off a long list of items, without
hesitation.
“You guys are ready,” Majerle tells them. “I really believe
that. Just play your game. Let’s do what we do.”
But Kentucky does what it does right from the start, and the
Lopes can’t get a shot to drop or, in some cases, over the much
taller UK defenders. In the first half, the Wildcats block seven
shots, one more than the Lopes make. But the expectedly epic
blowout never really materializes, and the crowd never really
gets that loud.
“It feels more like an NBA game than a college game,” says Daren
Sweet, GCUClass of 1992, who sits in Section 231, RowH. “The
atmosphere here is OK, but I’ll take what we have at GCU any day.”
The opening jitters behind them, the Lopes outscore Kentucky over
the first 13 minutes of the second half, and it’s a 25-point game until the
Wildcats pull away in the final minutes for an 85-45 victory. Afterward,
Calipari praises GCU for its physicality and says, “You could tell they’re
not afraid.”
Majerle, too, praises his team for its effort and perseverance. “It was
good for our guys to see exactly how a No. 1 team plays and acts and feels
like, the physicality of the game. It was really a good test for us,” he says.
Says Alexander, “There just wasn’t an aspect of fear. Coach Majerle
spoke about that before the game, that a regret that you can have in
life is if you went into a situation timid or with fear and without the
confidence that you can compete and play, regardless of the outcome.”
The Lopes have eight home games in December, including ones
against New Mexico and Harvard, and one of their road trips is to
another mecca of college basketball — Indiana. But not a single game
the rest of the season will be as daunting as what they faced at Kentucky,
which proved they have nothing to fear.
RoyceWoolridge drives to the basket (left) against twomuch taller
Kentucky players, then is consoled (above) by coach DanMajerle
when he is taken out near the end of the game.
GCU TODAY • 1 9
