1 6 • GCU TODAY
ou want to talk impact? Just ask new coach Schellas
Hyndman about his plans for the Grand Canyon
University men’s soccer program and let him
unleash the boundless enthusiasm of a martial arts
expert who greets you with a hearty handshake and a clap on the back
and describes his energy as “contagious.”
“There are so many great things here,” he began, warming to the
subject the way a summer day in Phoenix tends to test a thermometer’s
upper limits. “I loved where I lived (Dallas). It was more of a personal
challenge to me to give up that comfort zone and come here.
“But I was truly excited to be working with Mike Vaught (GCU’s vice
president of athletics) again, and the first time I met President (and CEO
Brian) Mueller, it was like, ‘Wow, where has this guy been my whole life?’”
You can’t help but think of the scene in “Scent of a Woman” where Al
Pacino bellows to the assembly, “I’m just getting warmed up!” Let the
man talk — he has more to say.
“I think the impact we can make is the same thing we learned when
we were children and our parents told us, ‘Always be cautious of your
first impression. It’s everlasting,’” Hyndman said. “I want to have a really
good impact here — I use the word ‘impression’ — that we’re committed
to this program.
“I think we also have a wonderful opportunity to have an impact in
the community. This is huge. I see a lot of similarities between Southern
Methodist University when I started in 1984 and GCU.”
So where is the GCU program? It’s the only NCAA Division I men’s soccer
program in Arizona, in an area that loves the world’s most popular sport. It’s
the focal point of what promises to be a beautiful new stadium, scheduled
to open next year. And it aims to be a nationally recognized destination for
GOAL-ORIENTED
Listen up! Hyndman kicks off new era in GCU soccer
B Y R I C K V A C E K
Alberto Sanchez Garcia, GCU’s leading
scorer last season with eight goals, is one of
the team’s top returning players.
photos by darryl webb
