Tag: DeWayne Russell

GCU Havocs steal the show at Slam Dunk and 3-Point Championships

by Adnan Alam
  • Slug: Sports-GCU Havocs
  • photo available, thumbnail below

By SAMANTHA PELL
Cronkite News

PHOENIX — Grand Canyon University’s DeWayne Russell already had the hometown crowd in his pocket before stepping onto the court Thursday night at the 29th annual State Farm College Slam Dunk and 3-Point Championships at GCU.

By competing in the men’s three-point portion of the event on the floor he played on for three seasons after transferring from Northern Arizona, Russell knew what GCU’s student section, the Havocs, had in store.

The rest of the college basketball basketball world knows, too, after the Havocs stole the show during the competition and almost lifted Russell to victory. He lost in the final to Iowa’s Peter Jok.

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For last time, no March Madness option for GCU

by Paola Boivin
  • Slug: Sports-GCU no postseason, 600 words
  • Photos available

By CHRISTOPHER WHITCOMB
Cronkite News

PHOENIX —With Selection Sunday and March Madness approaching, college basketball teams dream of hearing their names called.

Unless they’re ineligible to compete in postseason play.

That’s the case for Grand Canyon University, which just finished its fourth and final season with postseason ineligibility, a reality prompted by its jump from Division II to Division I. The Antelopes will watch from afar as the Western Athletic Conference begins tournament play Wednesday in Las Vegas. The winner secures an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

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Grand Canyon’s DeWayne Russell changing fortunes on and off the court

by Paola Boivin
  • Slug: Sports-GCU Russell, 869 words
  • Photos available (thumbnails, captions below)

By ZACH ALVIRA
Cronkite News

PHOENIX —Grand Canyon University point guard DeWayne Russell often finds a way to put others first, even during his own strenuous times.

In elementary school, he attended a basketball camp where he won a pair of basketball shoes. When Russell returned to show off his prize, he took the opportunity to help a classmate in need.

“I was excited about the shoes, but there was this one kid that everyone would make fun of because he didn’t have cool shoes,” Russell said. “I got sick of everyone making fun of him so I pulled him to the side and gave them to him.”

These days, Russell is doing his best to change the fortunes of the Antelopes, who have lost two of their last four games and host Texas Rio Grande Valley on Thursday.

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Grand Canyon hopes tough schedule pays off in final stretch of season

by Adnan Alam

Slug: Sports-GCU Basketball, 570
Photo available (thumbnail, caption below)

By CHRISTOPHER WHITCOMB
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – The Grand Canyon University men’s basketball team has played a schedule loaded with tough opponents this season, and it is by design.

Their non-conference schedule included games against some of the best programs in college basketball, coached by some of the biggest names in coaching such as Mike Krzyzewski at Duke, Louisville and Rick Pitino, San Diego State and Steve Fisher, Arizona and Sean Miller and Penn State, coached by Pat Chambers.

Those coaches have combined for 75 NCAA Tournament appearances, 18 trips to the Final Four and eight national championships. 

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