Grand Canyon forward Taeshon Cherry transfers to NAIA Marian in Indianapolis

Taeshon Cherry, a strong contributor to last year's Grand Canyon basketball team, has left and signed with NAIA Marian University in Indianapolis.

Cherry, a 6-foot-8, 225-pound forward whose strengths are his 3-point shooting and defense, had transferred last year from Arizona State to GCU.

He averaged 5.3 points and 3.9 rebounds. A source said that Cherry had to go to the NAIA route to play his final college season because of academic reasons. He had 26 steals and six blocks in 28 games. Cherry was part of coach Bryce Drew's rotation all season.

The Antelopes went 28-8, losing to New Mexico State 75-70 in the Western Athletic Conference Tournament semifinals last season.

Cherry's departure gives GCU one more scholarship for the 2023 class.

Logan Landers signs with GCU

Logan Landers, a 6-foot-9, 215-pound freshman forward, has signed with Grand Canyon after transferring from Kansas State, where his court time was limited as a freshman last season.

Landers, who came out of Wisconsin highly regarded, figures to have a bright future playing basketball for the Antelopes, developing under assistant coach Casey Shaw, who works with big men.

"They're going to allow me to come in and get out there and kind of show what I can do on the court, and they're going to help me become a better player," Landers said.

Landers, who is from Cedarburg, Wisconsin, played in 11 games off the bench for coach Bruce Weber's Wildcats last season. He made 4 of 10 shots on the season and averaged 1.6 rebounds in 6.9 minutes a game.

He averaged 15.9 points on 49.5% shooting during his four-year varsity career in Wisconsin, the last season spent at Cedarburg High. He made 119 of 350 3-pointers and averaged 8.9 rebounds in his high school career.

A 3-star recruit out of high school, Landers has the ability to stretch the court with his 3-point shooting. He also is a good passer.

Landers said, "100%," he can grow into his game at GCU under head coach Bryce Drew and with Shaw's help.

Landers' passion was in baseball as a pitcher, before he had a big growth spurt heading into high school. Four years ago, he dedicated himself to basketball.

"Coach Bruce Weber, honestly, is one of the most influential people I've ever met," Landers, 19, said about his one year at Kansas State. "He's a decent human being. He had a lot going on. He had to get his team together. We had to win games.

"Last season was OK, because I was just overall trying to develop and learn. And now after a year of doing that, I'll be able to come out and make an impact for the Lopes."

GCU is done signing recruits out of this class.

With four departures since the end of last season, coach Bryce Drew and his staff had to find more talent. He infused the roster with three Division I transfers -- 6-4 guard Joshua Baker (UNLV), 6-6 swingman Noah Baumann (Georgia) and 6-4 guard Rayshon Harrison (Presbyterian) -- and incoming 6-9 freshman Derrick Michael Xzavierro of Indonesia.

In the fall, the Lopes signed 6-11 center/forward Isaiah Carr out of Las Cruces, New Mexico. Isaiah Shaw, a 6-7 wing whose father is Casey, will be coming off a redshirt year.

Shooting and spacing should improve for a team that lost to New Mexico State in the WAC Tournament semifinals.

Former McClintock star signs with GCU

April 25, 2022

With two open scholarships at Grand Canyon University, former Tempe McClintock guard Josh Baker announced Thursday on social media his commitment to the Antelopes.

Baker, 6-foot-4, a 2019 high school graduate, averaging 21 points and four rebounds his senior year, played junior college basketball at Hutchinson, a powerhouse in Kansas, and last season at UNLV.

He is the second homegrown player to commit to GCU since the end of last season. Former Desert Vista 6-6 guard Noah Baumann signed to play his final college season at GCU after transferring from Georgia.

Baker averaged 13.7 points, making 51.3% of his field goals in 32 games at Hutchinson.

A concussion kept him out for three weeks during conference play last season with UNLV, where he made 12 starts and averaged 3.9 points.

GCU can sign one more player for the 2022-23 basketball season to a scholarship.

Blackmon, Stone hit transfer portal

Grand Canyon's men's basketball team will have two more scholarships available with guards Jalen Blackmon and Jayden Stone transferring.

Verbal Commits reported that both players entered the transfer portal.

Both had flashes of strong play last season but neither was part of the rotation late in the season, as the Antelopes lost to New Mexico State in the semifinals of the Western Athletic Conference Tournament in Las Vegas.

Players have until May 1 to enter the NCAA portal.

Blackmon, who was a freshman last season, was a heralded guard out of Indiana, an ESPN four-star recruit, where he was Marion High's all-time leading scorer. A torn anterior cruciate ligament in his knee limited him to five games his junior season.

He averaged 11 minutes in the first 11 games of his freshman season, before his minutes were reduced in WAC play.

Blackmon appeared in 23 games and averaged 2.7 points and shot 33% from the field and 36% from the 3-point arc (14 of 39).

This was the 6-4 Stone's second season with the Antelopes, coming from national prep academy Sunrise Christian in Kansas. He is from Perth, Australia.

He played in only 15 games and averaged 8.3 minutes and three points and 1.6 rebounds. He made 14 of 28 shots and 4 of 12 3-pointers.

In the 2020-21 season, Stone played in the first 13 games and was a strong contributor before a knee injury in practice in late January limited his play for the rest of the season.

The Lopes last week signed guards Noah Baumann and Rayshon Harrison, both transfers from Division I schools. Baumann, 6-foot-6, came from Georgia, where he averaged eight points last season. He is regarded as one of the nation's top 3-point shooters.

Harrison, 6-4, averaged 17 points in each of his first two colleges seasons at Presbyterian University in South Carolina.

To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert at richard.obert@arizonarepublic.com or 602-316-8827. Follow him on Twitter @azc_obert.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: GCU forward Taeshon Cherry transfers to NAIA Marian in Indianapolis