PHOENIX — For Sammie Yeanay, the highest-ranked signee in Grand Canyon University basketball history, the Lopes provide everything the 4-star recruit has been looking for.
"I just wanted to go somewhere where I could hoop and just develop as me going to the next step of becoming a pro," Yeanay said. "I just wanted to go somewhere that let me play my game, let me be free, make mistakes and learn and I felt GCU was the spot to go for me."
At first, GCU wasn't on the 18-year-old's radar, as he initially committed to play for Arizona State in early November. But he then de-committed after five-star 2024 shooting guard recruit Joson Sanon flipped his commitment from University of Arizona to Arizona State.
It was after that decision everything changed for Yeanay. The incoming freshman decided to watch a home GCU basketball game when the Lopes faced off against his hometown team, North Dakota State. Yeanay then knew GCU was the right program for him and instantly felt at home with Grand Canyon as a basketball player and young man.
Yeanay, a 6-foot-8, combo forward, became GCU's first top-100 signee and the highest-ranked player on ESPN's Class of 2024 Top 100 to choose a program outside the nation's Power 6 basketball conferences.
"It was kind of hard because I had to leave my family and my siblings and stuff," Yeanay said. "But you have to take some risks sometimes."
If you know anything about Lopes basketball and the raucous crowd that is the Havocs, then you know Yeanay is a perfect fit for this team and fanbase.
"I bring a lot of energy," Yeansay said. "Even when my teammates score I am going to make it seem like it's the best bucket they've ever had in their life and really get my teammates going."
Yeanay is originally from North Dakota, but his basketball journey has led him all across the country to Gainesville, Florida and he then later played for Chandler's AZ Compass Prep. It was there that the four-star recruit spent his senior season helping the Dragons finish at No. 8 nationally in ESPN's rankings.
The expectations that come with a top-100 recruit don't phase Yeanay in the slightest. In fact, he knows his work is just beginning with this program.
"It's a blessing from God," Yeansay said. "I did a lot of things to get here but I am just trying to not think about it too much and get better because the ultimate goal is to make it to the league."
Yeanay comes from a family of five siblings where he was constantly surrounded in a competitive household alongside his brothers and sisters. Yeanay dabbled in several sports, starting with soccer, but then transitioned to the hardwood after seeing his older brother find success in basketball.
"In high school, I think that's when I really started to play basketball," Yeanay said." "Because I saw my older brother play and that's why I started playing for real. He was alright, but he can't mess with me now."
Yeanay brings a unique skill set that varies from a strong post presence to a shot outside the perimeter that will be hard to defend on what is already an experienced roster. Four out of five starters are returning to Grand Canyon in 2024 and the addition of the highly touted freshman will only make this already dangerous team, even more so.
"It's really about winning more than anything else," Yenay said. "And I've been learning to play with other players and stuff like that. I work for everything so I am not scared to get any work in."
Competing at a high level is nothing new to the four-star recruit: Yenay played at AZ Compass Prep with five other seniors who have signed with Division I programs, including LSU-bound top-50 guard Vyctorious Miller.
"I just always want to work for everything I have," Yeanay said. "Just being humble and work for everything I have, work for everything. I feel like the most I've grown in the last year is my mentality and am excited to get going here at GCU."
At the time of this writing, it's uncertain the exact role Yeanay will play on this year's team but one thing is clear: he will earn it just like every other young man on that GCU roster.
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