Richard Obert|azcentral sports
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When Grandy Glaze and Keonta Vernon met up last summer for the first time at Grand Canyon University, it was like looking in the mirror.
Both were 6-foot-6 and looksuited for a football field at a ripped 235 pounds (Glaze) and 225 (Vernon). Both had their arms covered with tattoos. Both attacked the backboard with a veracity that satisfied former NBA defensive hound Dan Majerle.
They even created a joint Twitter account called @SmashBros241 with a black-and-white picture of the two standing back to back holding basketballs and the headline, "Straight Outta GCU."
GCU is glad they're on its side, after a 12-2 start that has been fueled by their muscle on the boards that has only ignited the play of powerful guard Josh Braun, the team's leading scorer who fits right in with the style of play Glaze and Vernon provide.
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"They told me I could join (the Smash Brothers fraternity), but I have to get all tatted up first," Braun said. "I don't know if I can do that. But they're awesome. They love the team."
They'll be on display at 6 p.m. Sunday at GCU Arena against Bethune-Cookman (4-9) after winning four consecutive games away from its loud arena. That included a gritty 52-45 win at San Diego State, where Vernon had 16 points and 11 rebounds that led to him being named the Western Athletic Conference Player of the Week.
That honor came a week after Glaze was named the WAC Player of the Week.
They feed off of each other. They see one go full bore to the glass, the other wants to pick it up a notch higher.
"We play hard-nosed with a lot of energy," Vernon said. "When you see him and I on the court at the same time, I feel like you've got to be really worried, because we like to bang bodies, we like to be physical."
Glaze and Vernon had vastly different paths that brought them together.
Glaze is from Toronto and spentmuch of his St. Louis University career injured, trying to rehab mostly from a shoulder that caused him to miss last season. Glaze received his college degree, and became a graduate transfer this year at GCU with potential waiting to be tapped.
So far, so good.
A minor knee injury caused Glaze to miss one game, which opened the door for Vernon to start his first game. Vernon had been coming off the bench as the sixth man before that. Vernon had 15 points and 10 rebounds in his first start Dec. 15, an 88-59 rout of Delaware State.
Since then, Glaze has been the sixth man.
Glaze and Vernon lived in the weight room in the summer, competing with each other on who could do the most push-ups, sit-ups, curls.
"Keonta is a little bit stronger than me right now," Glaze said. "He's only a sophomore so he'll have time to grow."
Glaze had 17 points off the bench in GCU's last game, an 86-75 win at SIU-Edwardsville.
"Grandy was a fifth-year guy whowanted to play some place and make an impact," Majerle said. "He's had a chance to shine here and be a part of an up-and-growing situation. Keonta was just solid."
Both had other colleges scared off by injuries.
Vernon, a sophomore, who was a college football prospect out of Tulare, Calif.,said that several colleges backed away from him last year after he suffered a knee injury late in the season at the College of Southern Idaho, a junior college that went 31-3 and was the third seed in the national tournament before losing early.
Vernon averaged 8.3 points and 6.3 rebounds. The knee required surgery, but he's shown great quickness, spring and strength, averaging 7.4 points and six rebounds for the Antelopes.
Vernon is second on the team in rebounding behind Glaze's 6.9 a game.
Glaze said he visited Wyoming and was about to visit New Mexico, before committing to Majerle at GCU.
"Coach Majerle and I get along really well," Glaze said. "He was an emotional player. He played how he felt. I do the same thing. Obviously, he was more skilled than me. But we share things in common."
The Smash Brothers'rebounding is showing up in the win column after Braunled the team at 4.9 a game last season at power forward.
GCU's marketing department pounced on the social media value of Glaze and Vernon, who decided on Smash over Bash in their Twitter account.
"We go hard, we smash," Vernon said. "Wejust took it and ran with it."
Bethune-Cookman at GCU
When: Sunday, 6 p.m.
Where: GCU Arena.
TV: Cox7.
Scouting report: This is part of a seven-game road trip for the Widcats, who entered Thursday night's game at Jacksonville with a 4-9 overall record. They lost last year at Grand Canyon 60-50, as DeWayne Russell and Josh Braun each scored 13 points for the Antelopes. Guard Jordan Potts had 24 points and Diamante Lewis came off the bench to score 24 points in the Wildcats' 81-73 loss at Brown on Monday.
Reach Obert at richard.obert@arizonarepublic.com or 602-460-1710. Follow him at twitter.com/azc_obert.
