By: Evan O'Kelly, Associate Commissioner for Communications

PORTLAND, Ore. – Six straight wins and a 9-1 overall record is good territory to be in at the conclusion of the 2024-25 non-conference portion of the men’s basketball season.
 
That’s exactly where head coach Jon Hawkins has his Northwest Nazarene Nighthawks, who were named the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Team of the Week on Monday. NNU knocked off Cal State LA 76-66 last Tuesday before closing its calendar year with an 80-68 triumph over Biola on Friday, earning a pair of hard-fought west region victories.
 
The Nighthawks (9-1, 2-0 GNAC) used a 43-point first half to build a lead that proved to be enough to hold off a comeback effort by the Golden Eagles in the second stanza. “Cal State LA does a good job making it difficult to run your offensive action due to their man press as well as forcing you to guard 1-on-1,” said Hawkins. “Our guys kept the game simple, drew two, played off two and worried more about getting teammates open. It was a test of singling out our on-ball defenders, but we built a wall and stayed with our defensive principles.”
 
It was a different story against Biola, as NNU found itself facing a 43-36 halftime deficit in its second game last week. This time, the Nighthawks turned up the offense with 44 points in the second half, while bolstering their defense and limiting Biola to 25 points in the come-from-behind win. “Biola was and still is playing really well, winning 8 of 9 coming into this tough road match-up which we knew would be a great test,” Hawkins said. “A mixture of their ball pressure and offensive versatility was going to force us to play solid. We were able to refocus on what has been separating us this year coming out of halftime, and that's our defensive presence. I am very proud of this group for responding the way they did on the road before Christmas break.”
 
The current six-game winning streak includes a 2-0 start to the GNAC portion of the schedule as well, with NNU beating Western Washington 75-74 on Dec. 5 and topping Simon Fraser 73-68 on Dec. 7 to open its conference slate. The Nighthawks’ only loss of the regular season was an 84-82 overtime setback against Westmont on Nov. 22, interrupting an otherwise unbeaten start to the year.
 
NNU’s success last week was piloted by the play of Kye Dickson, who scored 59 points while shooting 67.7% (21-for-31) in the two victories. A transfer from North Carolina Central, Dickson leads the GNAC with 17.7 points per game while ranking third in the conference with 7.0 rebounds per game. He has started all 10 games for the Nighthawks, and also ranks fifth in the conference in 3-point shooting at 42.4%. The 6-foot-7 forward from Toronto, Ontario, was named the GNAC Player of the Week on Monday. “Kye has allowed us to really call him up in everything he does,” Hawkins said. “For him to see the success this past week is a testament to his humble coachability and the belief his teammates have in him. He can do things on both ends of the court, and his belief in himself was a joy to witness.”
 
Fifth-year senior Ryzin Bergersen has been the heartbeat of the team since debuting during the COVID-affected 2020-21 campaign and has continued his strong play in his final year with the Nighthawks. Another everyday starter, Bergersen is second on the team with 10.6 points per game while adding 4.9 rebounds per game. Having committed just seven turnovers in 368 minutes played this season, the 6-foot-4 guard from Boise, Idaho, holds an assist-turnover ratio of 3.43 while leading the GNAC with 36.8 minutes played per game. “As you can see by Biggie's minutes per game, his presence is felt when he isn't on the court,” Hawkins said on the 2023 GNAC Championships Most Valuable Player. “Everyone has not seen the best of Biggie offensively yet. However, they have felt his presence through his multiple efforts, finding his teammates (on par for most assists in NNU career), and fixing problems before they occur.”
 
Stepping into an elevated role as a starter for the first time in his career, point guard Yaru Harvey has thrived in leading the Nighthawk offense thus far. Harvey, a 6-foot-3 guard, is third on the team with 10.0 points per game, and ranks fifth in the conference with 4.5 assists per game. The Sacramento, Calif., native dished out six assists in the win over Biola, and he has had four or more assists in 7 of 10 games this season. Harvey is also shooting an efficient 49.3% from the floor, and chips in 3.9 rebounds per game. “Yaru's performance has been a blessing to us and a joy to see,” Hawkins said on the third-year Nighthawk. “He was given a huge opportunity due to injuries and has stepped into this role like a veteran. His leadership and toughness have been consistent from day one of fall workouts.”
 
A newcomer from Wasilla, Alaska, 6-foot-3 guard Sullivan Menard has embraced his role with NNU and has found success in starting all 10 games this season. Menard averages 8.5 points per game, and delivered a season-high 17 on 5-for-8 accuracy from the arc in the win over Cal State LA last week. “The consistent work Sully has been putting in for weeks showed last week,” Hawkins said. “He stayed with his process and found success by staying consistent in his hours unseen. I'm proud of Sully as a one-year transfer coming in right away and buying into a different style of play.”
 
Briggs Ranstrom is the other Nighthawk to have started all 10 games, and ranks second on the squad with 5.8 rebounds per game to go along with 6.8 points. The 6-foot-6 forward from Eagle, Idaho, has reached his season high of 11 boards on two occasions, and in the win over Biola notched 10 points to mark his fourth double-digit scoring effort of the season. “We have asked Briggs to do more than anyone can imagine – playing several positions in our system is not easy,” Hawkins said. “Briggs is an unbelievable teammate and plays the game so hard. He has done whatever the team has needed from him.”
 
Seven-footer Zane Foster has proved to be among the most formidable sixth men in the league, averaging 8.1 points and 5.6 boards in 19.6 minutes off the bench in all 10 games for the Nighthawks. The Carroll College transfer from Puyallup, Wash., grabbed a season-high 13 rebounds in NNU’s 64-58 win over Northwest Missouri State on Dec. 14, and has reached double figures in scoring twice this season. “Zane is another one-year transfer being forced into a different style of play,” said Hawkins. “Zane is taking steps every single week as he gains more comfortability. We call Zane a cheat code; what he can do no one else can.”
 
In his second season as head coach Hawkins has found success that mirrors his playing career at his alma mater, during which he averaged 11.2 points per game and totaled 182 assists from 2011-13. Hawkins was the 2012-13 NCAA Division II statistical champion in free-throw percentage, with a mark of 94.1% which ranks as the second-best single-season percentage in GNAC history. Hawkins has had a hand in NNU’s success over the last decade, beginning his coaching career as an assistant on the staff in 2015-16. After going 12-14 in 2016-17, NNU has not had a losing season since and has finished in the top four in the GNAC standings four times. The program has posted a record of 134-105 (.561) in Hawkins’ 10 seasons on the coaching staff, and he holds a mark of 26-11 (.703) midway through his second campaign as the head man.
 
The Nighthawks will turn their attention to the resumption of the conference schedule when the calendar flips to 2025, as they open the new year on Jan. 4 at home against Central Washington (8-4, 2-0). It is the first of 16 conference games over the final two months of the regular season, as NNU has visions of securing its sixth straight GNAC Championships tournament berth.
 
“Non-conference games can dictate your post-season standing; we felt that last year,” said Hawkins, whose 2023-24 team narrowly missed the NCAA regional playoffs with a 17-10 overall record. “Our start has not came easy, and teams have pushed us to learn from our mistakes and errors early. I believe this has helped us learn more about ourselves and make the needed adjustments moving forward. Our identity is now known by all and within ourselves. There is no easy game in our conference with a variety of play styles, and we are thankful our non-conference schedule has set us up the way it did.”