Jared CohenThe GCU Lopes momentum is cruising going into the fall of 2015 coming off a second consecutive top three finish in the WAC for men’s basketball and the first WAC regular season championship in Baseball.
As a result, the Lopes in an effort to show appreciation for the hard work and effort put forth by the Coaches of both programs, Head Basketball Coach Dan Majerle and Head Baseball Coach Andy Stankiewicz both received new four-year contracts that extends them through the 2019 season.
“I am working hard and it didn’t matter if this happened or not, I was going to keep working hard,” said Majerle on Wednesday. “For them to show that kind of resolve and show that they believe in me like that, it just makes you feel good because I know how much I believe in this place.”
“The staff here, the administrative team is so supportive of athletics,” mentioned Stankiewicz. “As a coach, I don’t know that you could ask for a better spot to be if you want to be a collegiate coach.”
GCU also announced a five year contract with Nike.
“We want to be a top-25 program in everything we do, and these contracts are an example of that,” said Vice president of Athletics Mike Vaught. “Dan Majerle and Andy Stankiewicz are perfect examples of what it means to strive for excellence — both have already built established programs in our second year of transition to Division I. In addition, Nike is the gold standard when it comes to apparel and footwear. We are partnering with a brand that has world-wide appeal and credibility.”
The ‘Lopes remain on their probationary period for post season play since joining Division I which will be in its third or four years starting next fall. Colangelo says however, “anything is possible. We knew it was going to be a long four years and it was going to be difficult for us to get through that but here we are, two years are behind us and we have two years to go…It’s all part of a plan and so far we are right on schedule.”
