Grand Canyon changes course, drops WCC to Mountain West Conference

On By Littum

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Less than six months after announcing it was moving to the West Coast Conference, Grand Canyon announced Friday that it will move into the Mountain West Conference starting in July 2025.

This is the school’s final year in the Western Athletic Conference.

GCU will not play football in the Mountain West, which has football. There are no plans for GCU to have football.

It has always prided itself on being a basketball school.

The Lopes will compete against the likes of New Mexico, Nevada, UNLV, Wyoming, San Jose State, Air Force, UTEP and Hawaii.

“We are incredibly grateful for the Mountain West Conference’s interest in GCU and their recognition of the value we bring to its membership,” GCU President Brian Mueller said in a school release. “Lope Nation has grown primarily because of the innovative strategies and creative delivery models that enable us to offer cutting-edge academic programs both on our campus and across the country that have created a tremendous amount of momentum benefiting our athletic programs.

After Gonzaga was courted by the realigned Pac-12 and will leave the WCC for that conference after this school year, that left GCU in limbo. The big draw to the WCC for GCU was Gonzaga. Gonzaga will be a non-football school competing in the Pac-12.

The Mountain West pursued Grand Canyon, which will play in much larger venues for basketball games. The Pac-12 also expressed interest.

“We felt the long-term interests of the university would be best served by joining the Mountain West Conference,” Mueller said.

A press conference will be held Monday before GCU opens its men’s basketball season against Cal State Fullerton.

GCU has won the past two WAC tournament championships and three of the past four during coach Bryce Drew’s tenure. Last season marked the first time the Lopes won an NCAA Tournament game, beating fifth-seeded Saint Mary’s College as a 12-seed in the West Regional.

“Grand Canyon is a great addition to the Mountain West,” Mountain West Conference Commissioner Gloria Nevarez said in the school’s release. “We are excited to expand our footprint into the city of Phoenix and the state of Arizona.

“Grand Canyon has been on an upward trajectory both academically and athletically for the past decade, and its addition to the league will increase competition across the Mountain West as we strive to earn NCAA postseason bids and compete for national championships.”

The Mountain West, as it has been in the WAC for GCU, plays its end-of-season conference tournament in Las Vegas.

Richard Obert has covered high school sports since the 1980s for The Arizona Republic. He also covers Grand Canyon University athletics and the Arizona Rattlers. To suggest human interest story ideas and other news, contact Obert at [email protected] or 602-316-8827. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter:@azc_obert