Wednesday, October 23, 2019

PORTLAND, Ore. – One year ago, Western Washington found itself aced out of the GNAC Championships on its home floor, one of two teams left out in a three-way tie for sixth place.

This year, coaches believe the Vikings will not let a tournament berth slip away again as Western Washington is picked at the top of the 2019 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll.

With all five starters returning from last year’s squad and nine total players back, the Vikings received six first-place votes and a total of 112 points. Seattle Pacific, last year’s conference champion, garnered the other five first-place votes and is picked a close second with 107 points.

Picked to finish 11th in last year’s poll and the winner of the GNAC Championships spot in that sixth-place logjam, Simon Fraser is picked to finish third this year with 90 points. Alaska Anchorage, the other odd team out, is one point behind in the preseason rankings with 90 points. Montana State Billings is picked to repeat its fifth-place finish with 79 points and Central Washington is picked sixth with 63 points.

Rounding out the poll is Northwest Nazarene (59 pts.), Western Oregon (56 pts.), Concordia (25 pts.), Alaska (23 pts.) and Saint Martin’s (21 pts.).

After starting the 2018-19 season out strong with a 7-2 record over the first month, Western Washington hit a speed bump in conference play. At one point, the Vikings lost a string of five games in six meetings and bounced back to finish winning three of their last five, but lost a spot in the GNAC Championships in that sixth-place tie. The Vikings certainly had the talent to win, finishing second in the GNAC with averages of 81.1 points and 37.4 rebounds per game while leading the league and ranking 17th in Division II with a .785 free throw percentage.

The corps of five starters is led by senior forward Trevor Jasinsky, who was a First Team All-GNAC and First Team D2CCA All-West Region selection. Jasinsky was second in the GNAC in scoring at 19.1 points per game, fourth with 7.1 rebounds per game and was 26th in Division II with a .887 free throw percentage. Junior forward Luke Lovelady averaged 10.1 points and 5.4 rebounds per game and was second in the GNAC with his .636 field goal percentage. The trio of returning guards, seniors Cameron Retherford and Leif Anderson and junior Jalen Green, all averaged around eight points per game.

The Western Washington lineup is further bolstered by the return of a pair of seniors in guard/forward Siaan Rojas and center Logan Schilder. Rojas averaged 8.1 points per game in 2017-18 while Schilder average 7.1 points and 6.2 rebounds per contest.

Strong from start to finish, Seattle Pacific roared into the GNAC Championships by sweeping the second half of its conference schedule. In the tournament, the Falcons handed Northwest Nazarene a solid 87-82 defeat before rolling past Western Oregon in the championship game, 78-66. The Falcons advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA West Regional, falling to Saint Martin’s. Seattle Pacific led the GNAC with 37.8 rebounds per game and was third in scoring defense, allowing 70.9 points per contest.

While the Falcons lost three starters from last year, they bring back a pair of solid scorers. Senior guard Gavin Long earned Second Team All-GNAC honors after he averaged 14.4 points per game, shooting 55.7 percent from the field and 46.2 percent from three-point range. Junior guard Harry Cavell averaged 10.2 points per game.

Seattle Pacific also brings back four solid guards that played reserve roles, led by sophomore Divant’e Moffitt and his 7.6 points per game. Junior guard Gabe Colosimo, who played in just two games due to injury, also returns. Colosimo averaged 8.9 points per game during the 2017-18 campaign.

Simon Fraser surprised everyone by going 7-3 over the first two months of the season and then proved during conference play that the performance wasn’t a fluke. The Clan scored a three-overtime win over Montana State Billings, a four-point overtime win on the road at Alaska Anchorage and shocked Saint Martin’s in Lacey to earn the No. 6 berth in the GNAC Championships. Simon Fraser averaged 78.5 points per game, led the conference in three-point percentage (.380) and was third in assists (15.4 per game).

The Clan returns nine players, the most of any GNAC team, and five starters who all scored at least 10 points per game. Junior center Julian Roche earned Second Team All-GNAC honors after he averaged 13.4 points and 6.6 rebounds per game while shooting 55.3 percent from the field. Senior guard Othniel Spence averaged 13.7 points per game and shot 40.1 percent from three-point range while senior guard Michael Provenzano averaged 10.3 points per game and led the GNAC with five assists per game. Also among the returning starting five is sophomore guard Wilfried Balata (13.6 points per game) and junior forward Jasdeep Singh (11.4 points per game).

Alaska Anchorage started 2018-19 strong, going 6-4 through the first half of conference play. The magic ran out, however, in the second half as the Seawolves went 3-7 in their last 10 games. The team led the GNAC with 17.1 assists per game, ranked second in the GNAC with a .747 free throw percentage and was third with a .377 three-point percentage.

Senior guard/forward Tyler Brimhall returns after earning First Team All-GNAC honors last year. Brimhall ranked fourth in the GNAC with 18.7 points per game and seventh with 6.5 rebounds per game while shooting 47.1 percent from the field and 42.3 percent from three-point range. The Seawolves also welcome back senior forward Niko Bevens, who averaged 12.5 points per game, and senior guard Jack Macdonald and his 10.7 points per contest.

Montana State Billings took a step forward in its first season under head coach Mick Durham, finishing with a 15-14 record and returning to the GNAC Championships for the first time since 2017. The Yellowjackets were fourth in the GNAC in scoring at 79.2 points per game and ranked second with a .379 three-point percentage.

While MSUB lost a pair of its outside sharp-shooters, they also return a pair in senior guard Tyler Green and junior forward Zharon Richmond. Green averaged 15.1 points per game while making 43.1 percent from the field while Richmond was an inside force with his 10.8 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. Sophomore forward Brendan Howard is coming off a GNAC Freshman of the Year season that saw him lead the team with 15.7 points per game and a .535 field goal percentage.

Central Washington struggled in its transition under first-year coach Brandon Rinta, but coaches believe that the correction was short-lived. The Wildcats ranked third in the GNAC in scoring, averaging 81 points per game and was third with a .472 field goal percentage. Central will look to shore up a defense that allowed 81.7 points per game, the second most in the conference.

The Wildcats return two of their top scorers in senior guards Gamaun Boykin and Jeryn Lucas. Boykin earned Honorable Mention All-GNAC honors after he averaged 12 points and 5.1 rebounds per game while Lucas poured in 12.5 points per contest. Central returns three role players prepped to step into starting roles in senior guards Malcolm Cola (8.1 points per game) and Zellie Hudson (7.4 points per game) and sophomore forward Matt Poquette (9.8 points per game).

Northwest Nazarene was the team to beat in the GNAC for much of the season. The Nighthawks led the conference and was 30th in Division II with 84.5 points per game while also leading the GNAC with a .501 field goal percentage. Much of that offense came from the dynamic duo of Adonis Arms and Obi Megwa, who finished first and third in the conference in scoring, respectively.

Both Arms and Megwa are gone and the Nighthawks will look to a core of six returners to carry on. Senior guard Jayden Bezzant earned Honorable Mention All-GNAC honors in a sixth-man role, averaging 13.1 points per game while shooting 54.4 percent from the field and 40.5 percent from outside. The Nighthawks also bring back both starting forwards in seniors Olamilekan “Spider” Adetunji, who averaged 5.5 points and 6.2 rebounds per game, and Adalberto Diaz and his 7.4 points per game. Junior Sam Roth also returns after averaging 6.4 points per contest.

After finishing fourth in the GNAC regular-season standings, Western Oregon surprised the field by stunning Saint Martin’s in the GNAC Championships semifinals to earn its fourth consecutive trip to the championship game. The Wolves distinguished themselves as a defensive team, leading the conference in scoring defense (66 points allowed per game), scoring margin (+10.6), steals (7.7 per game) and turnover margin (+4.6).

The Wolves are in rebuilding mode, though, with the departure of three starters and head coach Jim Shaw, who went to Washington State. The team will build around senior guard Dalven Brushier, who averaged 10.3 points per game and shot 41.7 percent from the field. Junior guard Darius Lubom performed well in a reserve role last year, averaging 10.5 points per game while shooting 50.9 percent from the field and dishing out 109 assists. Sophomore Etan Collins provides depth on the blocks after averaging 6.3 points and 4.2 boards per game in his first season.

Concordia is also in rebuilding mode after a ninth-place finish last year and the departure of longtime head coach Brad Barbarick. The Cavaliers brought in Rodrick Rhodes from Northwest Nazarene to lead eight returners into a new era. Junior Hunter Sweet leads the squad after he averaged 10.5 points per game while shooting 49.3 percent from the field and 48.6 percent from three-point range. Senior guard Dom Bradley contributed nine points and 6.3 rebounds per game while senior forward Dakota Ayala pulled in averages of 7.1 points and 3.4 rebounds per game.

Alaska will look to build after winning five games in its first season under longtime Central Washington coach Greg Sparling. The Nanooks will build around senior Spencer Sweet, who averaged 11.9 points and three rebounds per game. The Nanooks also return senior guards Jalon McCullough and Quinn Daugharty along with junior guard Zach Hatch.

Saint Martin’s put together a season for the ages in 2018-19, winning the GNAC regular-season title with a 17-3 record and advancing to the NCAA West Regional final before seeing the year end with a loss to eventual national runner-up Point Loma. But the Saints were built for last year as all five starters departed as did head coach Alex Pribble, who joined the staff at Seattle University.

First-year head coach Aaron Landon will start the rebuilding process with junior guard Caden Smith, who averaged 2.1 points in 21 games off the bench last year. The Saints will supplement the lineup with redshirt junior guard Logan Rooney and junior transfer guard CJ Jennings.

The 2019-20 season commences on Saturday, Nov. 2 when Alaska Anchorage hosts Portland Bible. The year kicks off in earnest on Friday, Nov. 8 as six teams open play. Conference play will open on Tuesday, Dec. 3 when Simon Fraser hosts Western Washington.