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1 6 • GCU MAGAZ I NE
Relationship between basketball players, Havocs is more than
just meet-and-greet, both on and off the court
T
he most public example of Grand
Canyon University’s unique campus
culture is played out at men’s
basketball games. But there’s a lot
more to the interaction between the Havocs
and the players than meets the eye (and ear, for
that matter).
It’s as if they’re teammates. As the players
line up and circle the Arena floor after a game
to shake hands with fans, especially members
of GCU’s nationally renowned cheering
section, it’s an excellent example of the good
that comes from two groups of students
uniting for a common cause. They act like
friends because, well, they are.
“It’s really cool because we get to see them
around campus,” senior guard DeWayne
Russell said. “They become more than just the
student section. We know a lot of them. It’s
more like a friendship between us.”
The president of the Havocs, Steve
Hunsaker, said, “There’s a mutual respect
between the basketball players and the diehard
fans, and I don’t mean just the leaders. You’ll
see DeWayne and these guys on Lopes Way and
you’ll get high-fives from everybody.”
Friends and roommates
Hunsaker has taken the high-fives one step
further: He rooms with three players — Gerard
Martin and Matt Jackson, both from Australia,
and Kenzo Nudo, who’s of Mexican and Italian
descent. To commemorate their heritage, they
have four flags, including the Stars and Stripes,
in the living room of their unit in the new
Roadrunner Apartments.
“It’s like the United Nations in there,”
Hunsaker said.
Except that they’re a lot more united.
Martin, who spends about 11 months a year on
Uncommon
bond
B Y R I C K V A C E K