What Division I Athletics Should Look Like

Transcript

Now let’s head to Grand Canyon University’s incredible basketball arena. We’re now gonna meet up with Jamie Boggs. She is the vice president, athletic director, and she’s excited to talk about what division one athletics should look like. Jamie, the floor is all yours.

– Hi, everyone. I grew up in Phoenix, and he used to come to Grand Canyon University back in the 1990s. I remember the campus being small and modest, and there wasn’t a large student body. After high school, I left the state for graduate school, and also to pursue a career in athletics on the other side of the country. But I would still come home to visit family and come to Phoenix. And I remember on one occasion seeing this brand new state-of-the-art basketball arena, the one I’m standing in right now, but as I started to research GCU, I was surprised at the campus footprint and the growth in the student body, and from an athletic standpoint, the amazing facilities, the direction of the basketball program, and the connection with Jerry Colangelo, who was an icon in our industry. Coincidentally, a couple years later, an opportunity was presented to me to work at GCU and to help the university transition from division two to division one. In our short time as division one members, we have 127 conference championships and numerous academic accolades. I can say with certainty that the reason for our quick start to success is because of the committed support of our university president and our university administration, and the GCU community. Last year, we recently hired two new head coaches for our men’s and women’s programs, Bryce Drew and Molly Miller. In his first season, Bryce Drew led our men’s basketball program to the WAC regular season and tournament championships, as well as the university’s first birth into the NCAA tournament. Molly Miller took over the women’s basketball program and introduce an exciting, fast-paced brand of basketball that led the team to its first appearance in the WAC tournament championship game. Bryce and Molly brought impressive resumes to GCU and found immediate success in their first seasons while implementing faith-based team cultures. We’re excited to have them here to help take our programs to the next level. Our baseball program continues to grow in a positive trajectory and really quickly, and we have big expectations on our Head Baseball Coach, Andy Stankiewicz. And what I love about our coaches, is that they also embody the Christian mission and culture of service of our university. They know that we have everything that it takes to win from a great culture, to commitment from our university to the resources, and we’re ready to get it done. The foundation and fabric of who we are is our Christian mission and our understanding that we are here to serve, that we’re here to be the hands and feet of Christ, and we’re here to glorify Him through our work every day. When I started here several years ago, I thought my role was to come here and show everyone at GCU, what a division one institution is. Instead, I have learned and continue to learn from GCU what a division one institution should be. Back to you, Alex.

– What a story, helping bring GCU to division one. The facilities here are unbelievable, and the student support is second to none. Thank you for walking us through what division one should look like. It’s awesome to see what you’re all doing here. Thanks again, Jamie.