Grand Canyon hires Bryce Drew as HC

Bryce Drew has been hired as Grand Canyon's next head coach, the school announced Tuesday.

The 45-year-old replaces Dan Majerle, who was fired Thursday after seven seasons.

"From afar, I've heard about the Havocs and the atmosphere," Drew said in a statement. "It already has a reputation for a great passion for basketball. I want to come in and win championships. I want to be able to get the school its first berth in the NCAA Tournament."

Vanderbilt fired Drew in 2019 after a disappointing 9-23 season. However, he had a highly successful five-year tenure at his alma mater, Valparaiso, before joining the Commodores.

Drew went 124-49 with the Crusaders, winning four Horizon League regular-season championships and a pair of conference tournament titles. He was also named Horizon League Coach of the Year on three occasions.

"We are unbelievably excited to have Bryce Drew lead our basketball program into its next phase of development," GCU president Brian Mueller said in a statement. "Bryce built a very successful mid-major program at Valparaiso and proved he can recruit at a high level at Vanderbilt but, most importantly, he embodies the Christian mission of the University in how he lives his life both on and off the court."

After four consecutive seasons of 20-plus wins, GCU finished the 2019-20 campaign with a 13-17 record, including an 8-8 mark in conference play to place fifth in the WAC regular-season standings.