July 18, 2021 – Grand Rapids, MI –
Meet Grace Christian University’s 2021-22 Basketball Recruiting Class
Grace Christian University has wrapped up their men’s basketball recruiting as they land six new players. Back-to-back Regional Coach of the Year winner Gary Bailey hopes to continue his winning ways with the help of some youth. Let’s meet this class that Bailey describes as “special!!!”
The first player to join Bailey’s 2021-2022 basketball squad was Anthony Ward. Ward is a 6’6” forward from Lexington, KY. He comes with college basketball experience as he’s played at Campbellsville-Harrodsburg, where he averaged 7.9 points and 4 rebounds per game. Ward describes his new coach as “absolutely amazing” and sees the rest of the team as “brothers.” If Ward can keep up and improve on his 53.1% field goal percentage then he could be a nice piece for GCU.
Next to sign was Carson Whipple. Whipple is a 6’3″ guard out of Traverse City West High School. The two-sport athlete averaged 10 points and 7 rebounds on the hardwood while also being a key contributor going both ways on the football field. Most recently Whipple played on one of the top AAU teams in Northern Michigan- Parallel 45. Bailey is already carving out a role for Whipple as he said “Carson is a multi-level player that fits into our group.” Whipple seems to have a nose for the ball on the defensive end which can help him see the floor as a rotational player as early as his freshman year.
Following Whipple was another guard. This time it is Braiden McDonald who is 6’2” and comes from Fremont High School. McDonald had steller sophomore and junior seasons for the Fremont Packers as he was named to First-Team All-Conference twice and earned BCAM First-Team All-State honors in those years. He was able to reach his 1,000 career points as a team captain his senior year. Bailey complemented McDonald’s play and drive by saying, “He is an outstanding guard with an equally outstanding motor. He is a big guard with great athleticism that will give other guards fits.” The high flier has the potential to bring a spark off the bench and turn a lot of heads early in his GCU career.
After going with shorter guards with back-to-back recruits, Gary Bailey went back to the top and grabbed another 6’6” player with some college experience. Parker Neu is a forward from Traverse City West High School. In high school, he averaged 11.4 points and 5 rebounds per game. He earned All-BNC 2nd team and All-Region 5th team honors for his performance on the hardcourt. He would go on to play junior ball at Alpena Community College. There he averaged 15.7 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 2 assists per game. He finished the season hot with his career-high 27 points and 17 rebound games coming down the stretch for the Lumberjacks. Bailey praised Neu’s versatility to play multiple positions on the floor. He also recalls recruiting Neu out of high school saying, “We recruited Parker out of high school but he played one year of junior college ball. I think it helped him to gain the experience needed to play right away at Grace.” Parker Neu has a chance to stay hot for GCU. He will have a day one impact as he has the chance to be the first player off the bench and push starters for minutes.
The last addition for head coach Gary Bailey was a big one as he brought in highly-touted 6’11” forward/center Devon Forner out of Taylor, MI. His senior year he averaged a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Grand Rapids Angels. This led his squad to a State Championship and Midwest Regional Championship in 2021. Bailey is interested in the play as well as the size of Forner. He said, “Obviously, any coach is going to be happy getting someone of Devon’s size, but we feel extra fortunate to get a great player and someone with a high character like Devon.” Devon Forner is the new recruit that will start and play the most. Forner steps into a roster where he is the tallest by at least 3 inches. Sounds like GCU’s new tip-off guy. Beyond that Forner will only continue to perfect his craft with hall of fame coach Gary Bailey.
