Wednesday, March 6, 2024
by Evan O'Kelly, Assistant Commissioner For Communications

ELLENSBURG, Wash. - For the first time since the inception of the GNAC Basketball Championships in 2011, the conference tournament converges on Central Washington University’s Nicholson Pavilion and kicks off on Thursday.

The men’s event, which runs in conjunction with the women’s tournament, features the top-six teams from the 2023-24 GNAC regular-season standings with the top-two teams earning a first-round bye.

‘JACKETS IN A NUTSHELL: The Yellowjackets were rewarded in a big way after claiming their first regular-season title, as MSUB took home four of the five major awards on the all-conference team. GNAC Player of the Year Jalen Tot led the team and ranked seventh in the GNAC in scoring during the regular season at 15.4 points per game. GNAC Newcomer of the Year Daniel Moody ranked third in the conference with 8.2 rebounds per game and GNAC Defensive Player of the Year Steven Richardson ranked fourth in the league with 1.8 steals per game. As a team, MSUB ranked fifth in the GNAC in scoring margin at plus-6.4 and fourth in rebounding margin at plus-2.6. MSUB averaged 76.9 points per game while shooting 46.2% overall, 38.3% from long range and 73.1% from the free-throw line. Luke Fennelly became the fifth coach in GNAC history to bring home a regular-season title in his first season and the fourth to earn GNAC Coach of the Year in his first campaign.

TOURNEY OUTLOOK: The Yellowjackets advanced to the conference tournament for the ninth time and for the third season in a row. Last year’s No. 2 seed for MSUB was its highest among its previous eight appearances, as the ‘Jackets secured a first-round bye for the second straight season. MSUB was upset 54-38 by No. 6 seed and eventual tournament champion Northwest Nazarene at last season’s event. The Yellowjackets’ lone tournament title came in 2012, when they stormed to the trophy as the No. 5 seed.

NIGHTHAWKS IN A NUTSHELL: A trio of second-team all-conference players led the way for NNU this winter, as the reigning conference tournament champions earned themselves an easier path than they had last year for a chance to repeat. Point guard Tru Allen led the GNAC with 2.6 steals per game, while ranking ninth with 2.9 assists and 14th with 13.3 points per game. Gabriel Murphy is one of the top big men in the conference, ranking fourth in the league with 7.7 rebounds per game to go along with 11.9 points per game. Ryzin Bergersen, last year’s tournament MVP, ranked 15th in the GNAC with 13.2 points per game while adding 2.1 assists and a GNAC-second best 1.9 steals. The Nighthawks ranked second in the conference in scoring defense at 66.0 points per game allowed and sixth in scoring margin at plus-4.8. NNU shoots 44.0% overall, 28.8% from long range and 69.4% from the foul line.

TOURNEY OUTLOOK: Only one team in GNAC history has won back-to-back tournament titles, with Seattle Pacific making it three straight from 2013-15. The Nighthawks have the advantage of needing to win just two games to match that historic feat, with this being the second time they have had a first-round bye along with their No. 2 seed in 2022. Overall NNU has made the GNAC Championships eight times, with last year being its first trophy.

No. 3 Seed – Saint Martin’s University Saints

SAINTS IN A NUTSHELL: The regular-season champions in 2019, 2022 and 2023, Saint Martin’s will be playing in a quarterfinal game for the first time since the 2018 campaign when it was also the No. 3 seed. Kyle Greeley was a first-team all-conference selection after ranking third in the GNAC with 16.3 points per game and sixth in the conference with 6.9 rebounds per game. Jaden Nielsen-Skinner is one of the league’s top point guards, leading the GNAC with 4.7 assists per game and with an assist-turnover ratio of 3.0. Tyke Thompson was another all-conference selection for SMU, after averaging 12.0 points and 6.3 rebounds during the 2023-24 regular season. SMU’s 83.4 points per game ranked second in the conference, while its scoring margin of plus-11.0 was the top mark in the GNAC. SMU shoots 44.8% overall, 31.6% from 3-point range and73.2% from the free-throw line.

TOURNEY OUTLOOK: While the regular season has yielded more success for SMU than any other GNAC team over the last five years, the Saints are still on the hunt for their first-ever GNAC Championships trophy. The Saints were upset in the quarterfinals in 2022, the semifinals in 2019 and fell 65-57 to NNU in last season’s championship game, playing as the No. 1 seed in each of those three tournaments. SMU will make its ninth overall appearance at the championships.

No. 4 Seed – Central Washington University Wildcats

WILDCATS IN A NUTSHELL: Central Washington is propelled by second-team all-conference selection Samaad Hector, who led the conference with 8.7 rebounds per game and 1.3 blocked shots per game. Hector scored at a clip of 12.8 points per game, while posting a field-goal percentage of 51.0. Anjaylo Lloyd was another all-conference selection, after scoring 13.3 points per game during the regular season. Central Washington’s offensive output of 78.0 points per game and defense of 69.7 points per game allowed both ranked third in the conference, and CWU’s scoring margin of plus-8.3 was second only to Saint Martin’s. The Wildcats shoot 48.0% overall, 32.6% from long range and 75.2% from the foul line.

TOURNEY OUTLOOK: CWU was the GNAC’s best team in terms of home games during the regular season, making this week’s home-court advantage at Nicholson Pavilion a major factor in play. The Wildcats went 13-1 in Ellensburg, with their only home loss being a 74-59 defeat at the hands of regular-season champion MSUB on Jan. 4. CWU is in the conference tournament for the third straight season, and came up one game shy of reaching the championship with a 72-64 loss to SMU in the semifinals last year. Overall this is the Wildcats’ 10th tournament berth, with their lone tournament trophy coming as the No. 1 seed at the inaugural event in 2011.