BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Western Washington University men's basketball team officially opens the 2019-20 season this weekend hosting the GNAC/CCAA Conference Challenge in Carver Gymnasium on the WWU campus.
The Vikings welcome No. 5 nationally-ranked UC San Diego, Cal State Dominguez Hills and Simon Fraser to the two-day, four-game tournament that will be played on WECU Court in Carver Gym. Games are at 5 and 7:30 pm Friday and Saturday, with the Vikings playing in the featured 7:30 pm game each night.
WWU opens the tournament against Cal State Dominguez Hills on Friday night, followed by a match-up against UCSD at 7:30 pm on Saturday. GNAC member Simon Fraser will play the 5 pm game each night as the home team, beginning with Friday's contest vs. UCSD.
Picked as the favorites in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches Poll, the Vikings return 11 players and five starters from last year's squad that finished 15-15 overall and 9-11 in GNAC play. WWU is also ranked No. 6 in the D2SIDA West Region Preseason Media Poll and receiving votes in the NABC preseason national coaches poll.
The GNAC/CCAA Conference Challenge initiates a tough start to the 2019-20 season for the Vikings, with five games in nine days, four against top-five regionally ranked programs. Following the season-opening tournament, WWU hosts Cal Poly Pomona (No. 4 in West Region) on Tuesday night in Carver Gym, and then heads to California for the Aramark GNAC/PacWest Challenge in Irvine, California. WWU will face No. 23 and tournament host Concordia Irvine (No. 2 in West Region) and Azusa Pacific (No. 5 in West Region).
The Vikings are led by eighth-year head coach Tony Dominguez, who has led the program to a .500 or better record in each of his seven seasons leading the program for a 148-66 (.692) record. WWU went 15-15 overall last season, with a 9-11 record in GNAC play, but return 11 letterwinners and five starters. Senior co-captains Trevor Jasinsky and Logan Schilder are Preseason All-GNAC selections.
WWU will serve as the tournament host to the 2019-20 GNAC/CCAA Conference Challenge this weekend in Carver Gym. UC San Diego and Cal State Dominguez Hills out of the California Collegiate Athletic Association, and Simon Fraser and WWU out of the GNAC make up the four-team tournament field. The same four teams opened the season against each other last year in La Jolla, California with UCSD serving as tournament host. Here is a look at the tournament schedule with links on how to follow online via live stats and free HD webcast provided by VikingsTV:
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2019-20 GNAC/CCAA CONFERENCE CHALLENGE
|
|
Date/Day
|
Game
|
Time
|
Live Coverage
|
|
11/8 (Fri)
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Simon Fraser vs. #5 UC San Diego
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5:00 pm
|
Webcast
|
Live Stats
|
|
11/8 (Fri)
|
Western Washington vs. Cal St. Dominguez Hills
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7:30 pm
|
Webcast
|
Live Stats
|
|
11/9 (Sat)
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Simon Fraser vs. Cal St. Dominguez Hills
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5:00 pm
|
Webcast
|
Live Stats
|
|
11/9 (Sat)
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Western Washington vs. #5 UC San Diego
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7:30 pm
|
Webcast
|
Live Stats
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Tickets for all of WWU's home games can be purchased online in advance by visitingWWUVikings.com/MBB_Tickets. The box office in Carver Gym will also open one hour prior to tip-off for each home game.
Fans can watch all WWU home games, most GNAC road games, and a handful of non-conference road games not only on their phone, computer or tablet, but also on a big-screen television. All games that stream on GNAC.tv are also easily viewed on Roku players, AppleTV, Android TV and Amazon Fire TV (just search for GNAC). WWU's home games also stream on YouTube for a great viewing experience with rewind capability.
WEST REGION PRESEASON POLL
The Vikings debuted in the D2SIDA West Region Poll at No. 6, one of three GNAC schools in the preseason regional rankings joining No. 3 Seattle Pacific and No. 9 Simon Fraser. WWU plays four of the top five teams listed in the regional poll in the first five games of the season.
|
Rk
|
Team (1st Place Votes)
|
2018-19 Record
|
Points
|
|
1.
|
UC San Diego (5)
|
26-8
|
58
|
|
2.
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Concordia University Irvine
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23-11
|
51
|
|
3.
|
Seattle Pacific
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22-7
|
45
|
|
4.
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Cal Poly Pomona
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21-7
|
41
|
|
5.
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Azusa Pacific
|
20-11
|
36
|
|
6.
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Western Washington (1)
|
15-15
|
32
|
|
7.
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Cal State East Bay
|
22-8
|
27
|
|
8.
|
Chaminade
|
23-8
|
19
|
|
9.
|
Simon Fraser
|
15-14
|
8
|
|
10.
|
Cal State San Bernardino
|
15-14
|
6
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PRESEASON ALL-GNAC SELECTIONS
Senior co-captains Trevor Jasinsky and Logan Schilder have been selected to the 2019-20 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Preseason All-Conference Team. Jasinsky was voted by the conference's head coaches as the Preseason Player of the Year to headline the 15-player Preseason All-GNAC Team.
Coming off a junior season in which he was a First Team All-GNAC and All-West Region selection, Jasinsky enters his senior season as one of WWU's all-time leading scorers and 3-point shooters in program history. In 2018-19 Jasinsky was second in the GNAC averaging 19.1 points and fourth with 7.1 rebounds per game. He was the only player to rank in the top five in both categories last season and is the top returning player in the conference in both statistical categories.
Schilder, a 7-0 center out of Bellingham High School, returns to the hardwood after utilizing his redshirt season in 2018-19. As a junior in 2017-18, Schilder helped lead the Vikings to the GNAC Championships averaging 7.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.4 blocked shots per game (39 total blocks). He was 4th in the GNAC with a .597 shooting percentage connecting on 86-of-144 shots. In 59 career games, Schilder is ranked among the top shot blockers in program and GNAC history. He enters the 2019-20 season with 98 career blocked shots to rank 9th in WWU history and tied for 18th in conference history.
Trevor Jasinsky has scored 1,075 points while appearing in all 90 games of his WWU career to rank 21st in program history in points scored. He is also tied for 10th with 143 career made 3-pointers and among the leaders with a .853 free throw percentage (266-for-312). The 6-8 senior forward has not missed a game in his WWU career.
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WWU ALL-TIME LEADING SCORERS
(sorted by total points scored)
|
|
Rk
|
Player
|
Points
|
G
|
Avg.
|
|
1.
|
Jeffrey Parker (2013-17)
|
1,867
|
121
|
15.4
|
|
2.
|
Grant Dykstra (2002-06)
|
1,844
|
113
|
16.3
|
|
3.
|
Ryan Diggs (2002-06)
|
1,783
|
109
|
16.4
|
|
4.
|
Jared Stevenson (1996-2000)
|
1,728
|
106
|
16.3
|
|
5.
|
Mike Palm (1999-2003)
|
1,649
|
111
|
14.9
|
|
6.
|
Manny Kimmie (1986-1990)
|
1,624
|
126
|
12.9
|
|
7.
|
Harold Doyal (1991-95)
|
1,571
|
117
|
13.4
|
|
8.
|
John Allen (2010-13)
|
1,480
|
96
|
15.4
|
|
9.
|
Ira Graham (2004-05, 2006-09)
|
1,465
|
91
|
16.1
|
|
|
Jeff Dick (1990-94)
|
1,465
|
114
|
12.9
|
|
11.
|
Mike Franza (1969-73)
|
1,436
|
90
|
16.0
|
|
12.
|
Tim Dickerson (1984-88)
|
1,347
|
123
|
11.0
|
|
13.
|
Jacob Stevenson (1998-2002)
|
1,320
|
106
|
12.5
|
|
14.
|
Kevin Bryant (1976-1980)
|
1,310
|
109
|
12.0
|
|
15.
|
Rory Blanche (2008-12)
|
1,273
|
109
|
11.7
|
|
16.
|
Richard Woodworth (2009-14)
|
1,262
|
123
|
10.3
|
|
17.
|
Shelton Diggs (1998-2002)
|
1,251
|
109
|
11.5
|
|
18.
|
A.J. Geisa (1998-2002)
|
1,189
|
109
|
10.9
|
|
19.
|
Mike Clayton (1966-70)
|
1,093
|
89
|
12.3
|
|
20.
|
Stan Peterson (1947-51)
|
1,084
|
93
|
11.7
|
|
21.
|
Trevor Jasinsky (2016-current)
|
1,075
|
90
|
11.9
|
|
22.
|
Jason Burrell (2000-04)
|
1,032
|
102
|
10.1
|
|
23.
|
James Johnson (1986-88)
|
1,026
|
71
|
14.5
|
|
24.
|
Rob Visser (1973-76)
|
1,024
|
78
|
13.1
|
|
25.
|
Dwayne Kirkley (1992-94)
|
1,008
|
62
|
16.3
|
|
26.
|
Jim Adams (1960-63)
|
1,007
|
77
|
13.1
|
Senior center Logan Schilder enters the season just two blocked shots short of reaching 100 for his career. He will become the ninth player in WWU history and 18th in GNAC history to reach the 100-block milestone for a career. The 7-footer is currently 12th in GNAC history averaging 1.66 blocked shots per game (98 blocks, 59 G). Here is a look at WWU's all-time blocked shot leaders:
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WWU CAREER BLOCKED SHOTS
|
|
Rk
|
Player
|
Blocks
|
Years
|
G
|
|
1.
|
Ed Briggs
|
183
|
1988-90
|
58
|
|
2.
|
Rob Visser
|
168
|
1973-76
|
78
|
|
3.
|
Anye Turner
|
166
|
2012-15
|
89
|
|
4.
|
Mike Palm
|
162
|
1999-03
|
111
|
|
5.
|
Harold Doyal
|
127
|
1991-95
|
117
|
|
6.
|
Brian Dennis
|
117
|
1998-02
|
87
|
|
7.
|
Steve Severin
|
107
|
2006-08
|
53
|
|
8.
|
James Johnson
|
101
|
1986-88
|
71
|
|
9.
|
Logan Schilder
|
98
|
2016-C
|
59
|
|
10.
|
Lukas Henne
|
95
|
2003-07
|
110
|
|
11.
|
Austin Bragg
|
92
|
2012-14
|
62
|
|
12.
|
Chris Mitchell
|
91
|
2008-13
|
124
|
|
13.
|
Steven Clinscales
|
85
|
1989-91
|
48
|
|
14.
|
Mike Franza
|
78
|
1969-73
|
90
|
|
15.
|
Neal Larson
|
76
|
1967-71
|
93
|
The Vikings are scheduled to play 28 regular-season games, with eight non-conference games and the 20-game Great Northwest Athletic Conference schedule. WWU will complete in three tournaments during the season, beginning with the GNAC/CCAA Challenge hosting Simon Fraser, Cal State Dominguez Hills and UC San Diego in Carver Gym during the opening weekend of the season. Western will travel to play in the Aramark GNAC/PacWest Challenge in Irvine, California, playing tournament host Concordia-Irvine and Azusa Pacific Nov. 15-16. Carver Gym will also play host to the annual Chuck Randall Classic Nov. 29-30 with Colorado Christian, Langara College and SFU in the four-team tournament. The first GNAC contest is Dec. 3 when the Vikings cross the border to play at Simon Fraser in West Gym.
GNAC PRESEASON COACHES POLL
The Vikings were announced as the preseason favorite to win the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, topping the voting with 112 points and six first-place votes. Here is a look at the 2019-20 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Preseason Poll:
|
Rk
|
Team (1st Place Votes)
|
2018-19 Record (GNAC)
|
Points
|
|
1.
|
Western Washington (6)
|
15-15, 9-11 (T-6th)
|
112
|
|
2.
|
Seattle Pacific (5)
|
22-7, 16-4 (2nd)
|
107
|
|
3.
|
Simon Fraser
|
15-14, 9-11 (T-6th)
|
91
|
|
4.
|
Alaska Anchorage
|
14-14, 9-11 (T-6th)
|
90
|
|
5.
|
Montana State Billings
|
15-14, 10-10 (5th)
|
79
|
|
6.
|
Central Washington
|
11-17, 5-15 (10th)
|
63
|
|
7.
|
Northwest Nazarene
|
20-8, 14-6 (3rd)
|
59
|
|
8.
|
Western Oregon
|
22-11, 13-7 (4th)
|
56
|
|
9.
|
Concordia
|
11-17, 6-14 (9th)
|
25
|
|
10.
|
Alaska Fairbanks
|
5-22, 2-18 (11th)
|
23
|
|
11.
|
Saint Martin's
|
26-6, 17-3 (1st)
|
21
|
|
Votes awarded on an 11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis
|
The Vikings completed the 2018-19 season with a 15-15 overall record and tied for 6th in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference with a 9-11 league record…missed qualifying for the GNAC Championships hosted by WWU in Carver Gym via tiebreaker, the first time the Vikings have not played in the GNAC Tournament…had a string of 10 consecutive seasons advancing to the postseason snapped (GNAC or NCAA)…had a string of eight consecutive 20-win seasons snapped, but have finished .500 or better in each of the last 12 seasons…started the year 7-2, with only losses to nationally-ranked UC San Diego and Western Oregon, but went 1-5 over a six-game stretch Dec. 16-Jan. 10…opened the season ranked No. 14 in the NABC Preseason Coaches Poll and remained in the national top 20 until the month of December…finished the season with six games in 14 days, including road contests in Montana, Alaska and Canada (went 3-3)…went 8-5 in Carver Gym, 4-7 on the road and 3-3 in neutral-site games (0-3 at Hoops in Hawai'i D2 Power Invitational).
The Vikings finished the 2018-19 season 15-15 overall, extending its streak with a .500 or better record to 12 consecutive seasons. WWU has finished at least .500 in every season dating back to 2007-08, combining to go 257-106 (.708).
Head coach Tony Dominguez is in his eighth season at the helm of the program, and 25th overall at WWU. Dominguez has led the Vikings to a 146-66 record (.692) and was the 2016-17 GNAC Coach of the Year. He is assisted by David Dunham (4th season), Bob Hofstetter (7th season), Atiavo Jude(7th season) and Director of Basketball Operations Jonathan Kim.
Fans can follow the men's basketball team online at WWUVikings.com/MBB, and via social media on Twitter (@WWUHoops) and Facebook (@WWUmensbball).
One of the premier basketball programs in NCAA Division II, WWU has recorded a 20-win season in eight of the last 11 seasons. WWU is a six-time Great Northwest Athletic Conference champion and has appeared in the NCAA II Elite 8 three times. The Vikings won the 2011-12 NCAA Division II National Championship and advanced the following season to the NCAA II Final Four. Western has 20-win seasons in two of the last three years, including a 25-6 record in 2016-17 where it won the GNAC regular season and conference championships title, and advanced to the NCAA Division II Championships as the No. 3 seed in the West Region. WWU is the 12th winningest Division II program with its 1,494 victories (six short of 1,500) and is a top 20 team over the last 10 seasons with a 221-88 (.715) record.
