BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Western Washington University men's basketball team opens the 2022-23 season with a pair of games in the GNAC/CCAA Challenge hosted by Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, BC.

 

The Vikings will play at 5:15 pm in each game in West Gym on the SFU campus, tipping off the season Friday against Cal Poly Humboldt and then returning to action Saturday against Cal State Dominguez Hills.

 

WWU looks to reverse its fortune opening last season with the same two teams, dropping one-point games in the same tournament held at Cal State Dominguez Hills.

 

WWU returns nine letterwinners and a pair of starters from last year's squad that finished 14-14 and advanced to the GNAC Championships. One full season removed from winning the GNAC Tournament, the Vikings are aiming for a return trip to the NCAA postseason while hosting this year's GNAC Championships in Carver Gym.

 

The Vikings went 3-0 during the preseason, earning exhibition wins over Lincoln (95-81), Douglas College (114-71) and Columbia Bible College (116-73).

 

Following the season-opening CCAA/GNAC Challenge, the Vikings are back on the road with the PacWest/GNAC Challenge in Azusa, California, with WWU taking on Concordia (11/18, 5 pm) and tournament host Azusa Pacific (11/19, 7:30 pm). The Vikings first regular-season home game is scheduled for Tuesday, November 22 hosting Maine Fort Kent.

 

The complete 2022-23 WWU men's basketball schedule can be viewed online at WWUVikings.com/22-23_MBB.

 

 

WWU head coach Tony Dominguez talked about the upcoming 2022-23 season in an interview for WWUVikings.com that can be viewed on the WWU Athletics YouTube Channel.
 

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

 

• Cal Poly Humboldt: WWU leads the all-time series 12-11…defeated by the Lumberjacks 70-69 in the 2021-22 season opener…the Vikings have won four of last six 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 3-2 after last season's 61-60 loss at the Torodome…the Vikings had won three consecutive prior to the one-point setback…Western defeated CSUDH 92-88 on Nov. 8, 2019 in Carver Gym in the previous meeting in the series..

 

WWU guards D'Angelo Minnis and Daniel Hornbuckle have both been selected to the 2022-23 Preseason Great Northwest Athletic Conference Men's Basketball All-Conference team. Minnis was named the 2021-22 GNAC Defensive Player of the Year and earned Honorable Mention All-GNAC honors after averaging 12.4 points and 3.3 rebounds per game with 117 assists and 29 steals on the season. He ranked fourth in the conference with 4.5 assists per contest and was third with a .847 free-throw percentage. Hornbuckle joined Minnis as an Honorable Mention All-GNAC selection for the Vikings last season. He averaged 13.9 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. One of the conference's top three-point threats, Hornbuckle was second in the GNAC with three three-pointers made per game and sixth with a .435 three-point percentage.

Head coach Tony Dominguez is in his 11th season at the helm of the program, and 28th overall at WWU. Dominguez has led the Vikings to a 182-90 record (.669) and was the 2016-17 GNAC Coach of the Year. He is assisted by David Dunham (7th season), Bob Hofstetter (10th season), Atiavo Jude (10th season) and Director of Basketball Operations/Assistant Coach AJ Albritton(2nd season).

 

Here is the complete listing of the 2022-23 GNAC Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches poll and the voting breakdown, with the Vikings picked fourth and picking up one first-place vote:

 

 

Fans wishing to purchase season tickets for the 2022-23 season can call the WWU Box Office at (360) 650-6103 to reserve their seats for the upcoming season.

 

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 2012 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 1,528 all-time victories. Head coach Tony Dominguez enters his 10th season and 11th year as the Vikings head coach (28th overall at WWU) and is listed in the top 20 amongst active NCAA Division II head coaches with a .669 winning percentage (182-90).