BELLINGHAM, Wash. – At long last the Western Washington University men's basketball team officially returns to the court this week with a pair of games in Southern California to open the 2021-22 season.
 
The Vikings will play Humboldt State and tournament host Cal State Dominguez Hills in the season-opening CCAA/GNAC Challenge at the Torodome in Carson, California. WWU opens the 2021-22 season Friday, November 12 vs. Humboldt State with tip-off at 5 pm. Both games will feature a live webcast and statistical updates with links at wwuvikings.com/Live.
 
When the Vikings and Lumberjacks tip-off Friday, it will mark a 615-day span between official games for the Vikings. WWU did not play a season in 2020-21 due to the pandemic and last took the court March 7, 2020 defeating Alaska Anchorage 81-78 in the GNAC Championships Final. The Vikings qualified for the NCAA II West Regional Championships, but all games were cancelled for the planned March 13-16 tournament in La Jolla, California.
 
The Vikings enter the season with a preseason coaches ranking of third in the GNAC, trailing Seattle Pacific and Alaska Anchorage. WWU features a pair of preseason all-conference selections in sophomore guard D'Angelo Minnis and junior guard/forward Jalen Green.
 
Following the season-opening CCAA/GNAC Challenge, the Vikings return to Carver Gym hosting the Chuck Randall Classic with Azusa Pacific, Concordia and Seattle Pacific visiting WECU Court for the four-game tournament November 19-20.
 

THIS WEEK IN WWU MEN'S BASKETBALL
Friday, November 12	Live Coverage
vs. Humboldt State  »  5:00 pm  »  Carson, CA  »  Torodome	📊 LiveStats   🎥 Webcast
Saturday, November 13	Live Coverage
at Cal State Dominguez Hills  »  7:30 pm  »  Carson, CA  »  Torodome	📊 LiveStats   🎥 Webcast

Here is a look at the series history between WWU and its opponents this week, Humboldt State and Cal State Dominguez Hills:

• Humboldt State: WWU leads the all-time series 12-10…last played the Lumberjacks in 2018-19, defeating HSU 81-76 in a neutral-site game in Burnaby, BC…won three straight and four of last five vs. Humboldt…a former conference rival, WWU and Humboldt State played every season from 1998-99 through 2005-06.
• Cal State Dominguez Hills: WWU leads the all-time series 3-1 with the Vikings winning the last three meetings…Western defeated CSUDH 92-88 on Nov. 8, 2019 in Carver Gym…this marks WWU's first trip to the Torodome and the Cal State Dominguez Hills campus.

WWU played a pair of preseason games to prepare for the 2021-22 season, hosting the annual Blue-White Scrimmage on October 17 and defeating the Gary Payton-led Lincoln Oaklanders October 27. Luke Lovelady led the Vikings in the Blue-White with 27 points and eight rebounds. In the 83-72 win over Lincoln, D'Angelo Minnis and Jalen Green each scored 15 points, with Luke Lovelady (14 points) and Daniel Hornbuckle (10 points) also scoring in double-digits.
  Sophomore guard D'Angelo Minnis and junior guard/forward Jalen Green were unanimous selections to the 2021-22 GNAC Preseason All-Conference Team. Minnis and Green, both honorable mention All-GNAC selections in 2019-20 when the Vikings won the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Tournament, were among 15 players to earn Preseason All-GNAC honors in a vote of the conference's 10 head coaches. Green averaged 13.0 points, 5.9 rebounds and blocked 41 shots in 27 games in 2019-20. In two seasons on the court he has totaled 562 points in 54 games (43 starts) to average 10.4 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. Minnis started all 29 games during the GNAC championship season in 2019-20, averaging 12.3 points, 3.1 assists and 1.2 steals per game. He made 55-of-142 3-pointer attempts (38.7%) and shot .891 from the free throw line (49-for-55).
    Please note that all spectators ages 12 and older are required to provide proof of vaccination, including a CDC-issued Vaccination Record Card (or photo of the card) to enter ticketed events per WWU's updated fan policy for indoor events (went into place Oct. 18). Fans ages 12 and older who cannot provide proof of vaccination may present proof of negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours instead of proof of vaccination (for non-WWU students). WWU students need to show just their "Green Badge" that they are in good standing with the campus vaccination policy.
  Fans wishing to purchase season tickets for the 2021-22 season can call the WWU Box Office at (360) 650-6103 to reserve their seats for the upcoming season.
  WWU won the 2020 GNAC Championships title finishing the season with a 20-10 overall record. The Vikings completed a 2-0 run through the GNAC Championships to earn the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Championships. Finished the regular season with a 13-7 league record to earn the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament. Qualified for the NCAA II Championships for the ninth time, but the West Regional Tournament was cancelled due to the national pandemic.
  WWU has made nine appearances in the NCAA Division II Championships. Owns an all-time NCAA Tournament record of 17-7 (.708) and have won at least one game in six of eight previous championships appearances (2+ games  in 4 of 8). The Vikings are three-time West Region Champions (2001, 2012, 2013), advancing the NCAA II Final Four in all three of the Elite 8 appearances in program history. The Vikings won the 2012 NCAA II National Championship.
  The Vikings went 13-3 in Carver Gym during the 2019-20 season, continuing the success in the on-campus venue from over the years. WWU owns an all-time record of 577-173 (.796) in Carver Gym, with head coach Tony Dominguez leading the Vikings to a 76-16 record.
  Head coach Tony Dominguez is in his 10th season at the helm of the program, and 27th overall at WWU. Dominguez has led the Vikings to a 168-76 record (.689) and was the 2016-17 GNAC Coach of the Year. He is assisted by David Dunham (6th season), Bob Hofstetter (9th season), Atiavo Jude (9th season) and lead support staff members AJ Albritton (Director of Basketball Operations and Garrett Thibodeaux (Assistant Coach & Video Coordinator).
  More information on the 2021-22 season, including statistics, schedule, roster and program history can be found 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 three of the last four years (and seven of nine) and won the 2020 GNAC Championships Tournament. WWU is the 12th winningest Division II program with its 1,514 all-time victories.