Tuesday, October 17, 2023
by Evan O'Kelly

PORTLAND, Ore. – The only men’s basketball team in Great Northwest Athletic Conference history to win three consecutive regular-season titles was Cal Poly Humboldt (then Humboldt State), doing so in the first three years of the league from 2001-04.

Two-time reigning regular-season champion Saint Martin’s was selected by the GNAC coaches as the preseason favorite for the 2023-24 season, as the Saints will take a shot at one of the rarest feats the conference has seen. SMU became the fourth team in GNAC history to win back-to-back titles, claiming the 2021-22 crown during a modified schedule and following with a record of 15-3 in GNAC play last season.

The 2022 GNAC Coach of the Year Aaron Landon enters his third season in charge of the Saints, who were upset by No. 6 seed Northwest Nazarene, 65-57, in the GNAC Championships title game before falling to No. 5 seed Academy of Art in overtime at the 2023 NCAA West Region Championships. Landon’s squad was a near-unanimous pick garnering nine first-place votes, with the Nighthawks claiming the other and checking in at No. 2 in the preseason poll.

The offense of the preseason favorites runs through the fingertips of Jaden Nielsen-Skinner, who ranked fifth in Division II in assist-turnover ratio last year at 3.53. Nielsen-Skinner was joined on the 2022-23 all-GNAC first team by fellow returner Kyle Greeley, who ranked fifth in the conference and led the team with 14.8 points per game. The Saints also welcome back Tyke Thompson – a second-team all-conference pick last year after averaging 5.7 rebounds to go along with 10.5 points.

Among the Saints’ cast of incoming transfers are Navarro College guard Jayshawn Moore, who averaged 10 points per game in 2022-23, Cal State Northridge guard Marcel Stevens and Northeast Oklahoma A&M guard Myles Samuels.

The Nighthawks made it two consecutive years that the GNAC Championships lowest seed upset the field, toppling Saint Martin’s to earn the conference’s automatic berth into the NCAA West Region Championships. Ryzin Bergersen emerged as the postseason hero for the Nighthawks, claiming GNAC Championships MVP honors after averaging 11.3 points per game and shooting 44.7 % from 3-point range during the 2022-23 season. Back this season alongside Bergersen are second-team all-GNAC forward Gabe Murphy and honorable mention selection guard Tru Allen. Murphy ranked second in the GNAC last winter with 8.2 rebounds per game while chipping in 11.6 points and shooting 54.3 % from the floor. Allen meanwhile averaged 12.1 points to go along with 3.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.8 steals in a productive all-around campaign.

Treasure Valley Community College transfer Garret Long figures to make an immediate impact, after averaging 13.5 points per game during his sophomore season. NNU also brings in 6-foot-9 freshman forward Cyrus Turley from Mount Si High School, who provides the team with notable size in the paint. NNU will be under the guidance of first-year head coach Jon Hawkins, after former head coach Paul Rush was promoted to the position of athletic director for the Nighthawks.

Brandon Rinta’s Central Washington squad was slated third in the preseason poll a season after tying for third place with a conference record of 9-9 in 2022-23. Camron McNeil garnered honorable mention selection last season after leading the team and ranking fourth in the conference with 15.6 points per game. CWU also welcomes back Samaad Hector, another honorable mention all-conference selection who posted 11.7 points per game and 6.1 rebounds per game last winter.

The Wildcats will have to replace second-team all-GNAC forward Matt Poquette, as well as honorable mention guard Brock Gilbert who led the league with 190 assists in 2022-23. Western Nebraska Community College transfer Carl Thorpe, who stands at 6-foot-7, could help to fill the void after averaging 13.6 points and 6.4 rebounds per game as a sophomore. CWU will also bring in Seattle University transfer Anjaylo Lloyd, Coastal Carolina transfer Seth Dawson and a healthy cast of five freshmen to compete for playing time this season.

Western Washington posted an overall winning record of 15-13 last season, but missed out on the conference tournament with an 8-10 mark in league play to finish seventh. Tony Dominguez enters his 12th season in charge of the program and has 10 total returners including three starters back on a squad that was projected to finish fourth in the preseason poll. Reigning GNAC Freshman of the Year BJ Kolly and second-team all-conference guard Kai Johnson are the most familiar faces that will be back in the Vikings’ lineup. Kolly averaged 10.6 points and 6.2 rebounds, while totaling 62 blocked shots in his debut. Johnson meanwhile ranked 11th in the conference with 12.9 points and 5.3 rebounds, to go along with 3.0 assists per game.

The Vikings’ biggest void will be left by second-team all-GNAC guard D’Angelo Minnis and Daniel Hornbuckle, who ranked sixth and seventh in the GNAC in scoring with 14.3 points and 13.3 points, respectively. WWU’s cast of transfers is headlined by 2022-23 NWAC Southern Region Player of the Year Will Wilson, who averaged 27.1 points and 6.7 rebounds last season for Mt. Hood Community College. Victory Valley College seven-footer Janko Drammeh will be the tallest player in the league and is coming off 9.1 rebounds per game last season.

Montana State Billings was one win away from its first-ever GNAC regular-season title in 2022-23, as the Yellowjackets put themselves on the map with a second-place finish. First-year head coach Luke Fennelly (who was the associate head coach last year) will need to replace the Yellowjackets’ first-ever GNAC Player of the Year in Carrington Wiggins who ranked second in the league with 17.7 points per game, and GNAC Defensive Player of the Year Bilal Shabazz who led the conference with 8.8 rebounds per game.

Steven Richardson made a big impact in his first season with the ‘Jackets, and is back after contributing 9.7 points and starting all 30 games. Forward Emmanuel Ajanaku, who stands 6-foot-10, figures to be one of the league’s top big men after starting 29 games last year, and twins Jajuan and Jalen Tot also return. MSUB’s roster is further bolstered by seventh-year veteran Zharon Richmond, who recovered from an injury and is set for his senior season. Famous Lefthand is the top name among seven newcomers to the MSUB lineup, with the 6-foot-3 guard projecting to play important minutes from the outset of the season.

Matching the Yellowjackets in fifth place in the preseason poll was Seattle Pacific, which went 17-11 overall and placed third with a league record of 12-6 last season. First-year head coach Keffrey Fazio will rely on first-team all-GNAC forward Shaw Anderson, who led the conference and ranked 34th nationally with 20.1 points per game. Junior guard Maui Sze led the team with 3.0 assists per game while sophomore forward Trace Evans shot 54.5 % from the field, and both are back for SPU this season.

The Falcons will be excited about the scoring potential of transfer guards Jadin Penigar, a 6-foot-6 sophomore from Everett Community College, and Owen Moriarty, a 6-foot-2 sophomore from Bellevue College. Moriarty led his team with 18.6 points per game in 2022-23 while Penigar finished the season averaging 16.0 points.

Alaska Anchorage checked in at No. 7 in the preseason coaches poll, after finishing ninth in the conference standings a season ago at 7-11. Honorable mention all-GNAC guard Tyson Gilbert and forward Sawyer Storms are the top returners for seasoned veteran head coach Rusty Osborne, with both averaging in double figures for scoring in 2022-23. Bishop Tosi, a teammate of SPU transfer Owen Moriarty at Bellevue College, figures to provide a sturdy presence after averaging 12.6 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. Peninsula College transfer Malik Jackson could also be a key player, coming off a sophomore season averaging 12.6 points and 7.1 rebounds in the NWAC.

Western Oregon checked in at No. 8 in the preseason poll, after going 12-14 overall and 9-9 in conference play to tie for fourth in 2022-23. Fifth-year head coach Wes Pifer welcomes back honorable mention all-conference forward Cameron Benzel, who averaged 11.5 points and 6.1 rebounds a season ago. Guards Jahville Collins (9.2 ppg) and Qiant Myers (6.0 apg) are the other returning starters for the Wolves this season.

The loss of first-team all-GNAC guard Cameron Cranston is a big one, with the Wolves bringing in three transfers to help fill the gap. Lamar Community College transfer guard Kris Cook (6-foot-6) averaged 16.4 points and 6.3 rebounds last season, while Colorado Christian transfer guard Jason Gallant averaged 14.2 points in 25 starts at the Division II level.

The Alaska Nanooks followed their Cinderella run to the Sweet 16 in 2021-22 with a record of 11-15 and an eighth-place finish in the GNAC last year, and were tabbed to place ninth in the preseason poll. Abdullahi Mohamed returns as one of the top talents in the conference, earning second-team all-GNAC last year with 13.1 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. Bryan Nguyen and Nick Hopkins are the other two returning starters for Greg Sparling’s team as he enters his sixth year in charge at Fairbanks.

The Nanooks have as talented a transfer class as any GNAC team, in Clackamas Community College guard/forward TJ Doman averaging 16.8 points and 7.6 rebounds, Green River College guard Trey Anderson averaging 15.8 points and shooting 52.6 %, and Fairbanks native Tyriq Luke averaging 14.1 points at Everett Community College in 2022-23.

Selected 10th in the preseason poll, Simon Fraser will look for a turnaround season after going 6-22 overall and 1-17 in conference play in 2022-23. The Red Leafs welcome back four starters to their lineup, including senior guard David Penney who averaged 10.8 points per game last year. Immanuel Oludele is another returning double-figure scorer at 10.3 points per game for Steve Hanson’s club as he enters his eighth season. The Red Leafs will lean on a total of 12 players who return with GNAC experience as well as the return of hometown star Sasha Vujisic from injury for an improved 2023-24 season.

The 2023-24 regular season kicks off the weekend of Nov. 3-5 with 6 of 10 teams in action on the first three days of the campaign. The conference slate will begin on Nov. 30, and the complete GNAC schedule for 2023-24 can be found online here.