By: Evan O'Kelly, Associate Commissioner for Communications
PORTLAND, Ore. – The three hottest Great Northwest Athletic Conference men’s basketball teams are set to square off this weekend, headlining the upcoming slate of conference games.
| This Week's GNAC Men's Basketball Schedule |
| Home Team |
Thursday, Feb. 6 |
Saturday, Feb. 8 |
| Central Washington |
Alaska Anchorage (7:30 p.m. PT) |
Alaska Fairbanks (6:15 p.m. PT) |
| Northwest Nazarene |
Alaska Fairbanks (7:30 p.m. MT) |
Alaska Anchorage (7:30 p.m. MT) |
| Saint Martin's |
BYE |
Western Oregon (5:15 p.m. PT) |
| Simon Fraser |
Seattle Pacific (7 p.m. PT) |
Montana State Billings (7 p.m. PT) |
| Western Washington |
Montana State Billings (7 p.m. PT) |
Seattle Pacific (7 p.m. PT) |
The 2025 GNAC Men’s and Women's Basketball Championships will be held March 6-8 at Marcus Pavilion on the campus of Saint Martin's University in
Lacey, Wash. The top six teams in the GNAC standings at the end of the regular season will advance to the GNAC Championships (tiebreakers will be applied as necessary). The top two seeds earn byes to the semifinal round. The quarterfinal round will match the Nos. 3 and 6 seeds in one game and the Nos. 4 and 5 seeds in the other game. Quarterfinal winners will advance to Friday's semifinals. Semifinal winners will meet on Saturday for the championship. The winners of the GNAC Championships will automatically qualify for their respective NCAA Division II Championships events.
Reigning GNAC Team of the Week Western Washington (14-7, 6-5 GNAC), which has won a league-high six games in a row, plays host to Montana State Billings (15-9, 6-5) on Thursday (7 p.m. PT) and Seattle Pacific (11-11, 7-4) on Saturday (7 p.m. PT). The Vikings pushed past Alaska Anchorage 76-73 and Alaska Fairbanks 89-84 on the road last week, moving into a tie for fifth place in the conference standings with the Yellowjackets. The Falcons enter the week one game ahead of both WWU and MSUB, meaning the two games in Bellingham will have a significant impact on the middle portion of the conference standings. Preseason all-conference selection
Will Wilson leads the team and ranks third in the GNAC with 16.6 points per game, while
Grant Kepley chips in 14.3 points per game and a GNAC-third best 4.4 assists per game.
Both the Yellowjackets and the Falcons will be putting four-game winning streaks on the line this week, as they have each also enjoyed a surge up the league leaderboard. The Yellowjackets’ hot streak has come directly following a five-game losing skid, as they upset No. 25 Saint Martin’s 73-65 and beat Western Oregon 90-68 at home last week. MSUB’s
Brendon Johnson was tabbed the GNAC Player of the Week, and he ranks third on the team with 13.0 points per game while adding 5.1 rebounds per game.
Kael Robinson, the previous GNAC Player of the Week, leads the team with 6.9 rebounds per game while adding 15.3 points per game. GNAC Preseason Player of the Year
Jalen Tot leads the squad and ranks sixth in the conference with 16.1 points per game.
Seattle Pacific beat the Wolves 82-65 and the Saints 72-65 last week, marking five straight games in which the team has held its opponent below 70 points. SPU opens the week at Simon Fraser (7-14, 3-8) on Thursday night (7 p.m. PT) before squaring off against the Vikings Saturday.
Jaxon Nap is the conference’s leading rebounder at 9.8 boards per game, while
Trace Evans ranks third in the league with a field-goal percentage of 66.0.
Conference-leading Central Washington (14-6, 8-2) is coming off a thrilling, 91-88 win over Northwest Nazarene in overtime last week to put itself alone in first place. The Wildcats host Alaska Anchorage on Thursday (7:30 p.m. PT) and Alaska Fairbanks on Saturday (6:15 p.m. PT).
Cavin Holden leads the team with 14.9 points per game and is shooting 45.2% from long range to rank fourth in the conference. As a team the Wildcats rank second in Division II basketball in 3-point shooting at 41.0%. The Nighthawks (14-4, 7-3) moved to second place with the defeat against the Wildcats, as they also prepare to host the Alaska schools this week. NNU’s
Kye Dickson leads the GNAC with 18.8 points per game and ranks third in the conference with 8.3 rebounds per game.
Zane Foster meanwhile leads the league in shooting at 68.4%.
Saint Martin’s (18-6, 7-4) will look to shake off a pair of losses to the Yellowjackets and Falcons last week, as they host travel partner Western Oregon (4-17, 1-10) in their lone game Saturday evening (5:15 p.m. PT). Senior point guard
Jaden Nielsen-Skinner enters the week ranked fourth in conference history with 577 career assists. He needs 18 more assists to pass Humboldt State’s Mark White (2000-04) for No. 3 on the career leaderboard. Nielsen-Skinner ranks third in Division II basketball this season with an assist-turnover ratio of 3.94, and his 134 total assists are fifth-most nationally.
| GNAC Career Assists Leaders (as of Feb. 5, 2025) |
| Rank |
Player |
Assists |
School |
Career |
| 1 |
Luke Cooper |
800 |
Alaska Anchorage |
2004-08 |
| 2 |
Kevin Tyner |
600 |
Western Oregon |
2002-06 |
| 3 |
Mark White |
594 |
Humboldt State |
2000-04 |
| 4 |
Jaden Nielsen-Skinner |
577 |
Saint Martin's |
2021-25 |
| 5 |
David Downs |
561 |
Seattle Pacific |
2010-14 |
| 6 |
Ryan Webb |
548 |
Seattle |
2003-07 |
| 7 |
Jake Linton |
496 |
Saint Martin's |
2005-09 |
| 8 |
Michael Provenzano |
482 |
Simon Fraser |
2016-20 |
| 9 |
Tony Binetti |
461 |
Seattle Pacific |
2002-06 |
| 10 |
Riley Stockton |
444 |
Seattle Pacific |
2011-15 |
Also among national stat leaders is Alaska Anchorage’s
Tyler Burraston, who is second in Division II with 81 made threes and 13th with 3.38 made threes per game. Burraston’s pace is currently the eighth best in GNAC single-season history, with the single-season conference record for made threes sitting at 116 by UAA’s Niko Bevens in 2019-20.
| GNAC In The National & Regional Rankings |
National top-25 rankings are released weekly by both the National Association of Basketball Coaches (coach poll) and the D2 College Sports Communicators (media poll). The D2CSC also releases weekly regional top-10 rankings. Additional ranking information, including RPI projections, can be found in real time via
Inkblot Sports online here. The official NCAA regional rankings, which will eventually determine the eight-team field for the 2025 NCAA West Region Championships, will be released towards the end of the season beginning in February, 2025.
| NABC National Top-25 Poll |
| Poll |
Team 1 |
Team 2 |
| Preseason (10/30) |
15. CWU |
RV MSUB |
| Week 1 (11/18) |
16. SMU |
RV WWU |
| Week 2 (11/26) |
17. SMU |
RV WWU |
| Week 3 (12/3) |
RV SMU |
|
| Week 4 (12/10) |
RV SMU |
|
| Week 5 (12/17 |
RV SMU |
|
| Week 6 (12/31) |
22. SMU |
RV NNU |
| Week 7 (1/7) |
18. SMU |
RV NNU |
| Week 8 (1/14) |
17. SMU |
RV NNU |
| Week 9 (1/21) |
RV NNU |
RV SMU |
| Week 10 (1/28) |
25 SMU |
|
| Week 11 (2/4) |
None |
|
| D2CSC National Top-25 Poll |
| Poll |
Team 1 |
Team 2 |
| Week 1 (11/11) |
16. SMU |
RV MSUB |
| Week 2 (11/18) |
12. SMU |
RV WWU |
| Week 3 (11/25) |
15. SMU |
RV WWU |
| Week 4 (12/3) |
T25. SMU |
|
| Week 5 (12/10) |
RV SMU |
|
| Week 6 (12/17) |
RV SMU |
|
| Week 7 (1/7) |
11. SMU |
RV NNU |
| Week 8 (1/14) |
8. SMU |
|
| Week 9 (1/21) |
RV SMU |
|
| Week 10 (1/28) |
19 SMU |
|
| Week 11 (2/4) |
RV SMU |
|
| D2CSC West Region Rankings |
| Poll |
Team 1 |
Team 2 |
Team 3 |
Team 4 |
Team 5 |
| Week 1 (11/4) |
4. CWU |
6. MSUB |
10. SMU |
RV NNU |
RV WWU |
| Week 2 (11/11) |
3. SMU |
4. MSUB |
T6. WWU |
RV CWU |
RV NNU |
| Week 3 (11/18) |
2. SMU |
4. WWU |
6. MSUB |
10. NNU |
|
| Week 4 (11/25) |
3. SMU |
6. WWU |
T7. MSUB |
9. NNU |
|
| Week 5 (12/2) |
4. SMU |
T6. WWU |
8. MSUB |
10. CWU |
RV NNU |
| Week 6 (12/9) |
4. SMU |
6. CWU |
7. MSUB |
9. NNU |
RV WWU |
| Week 7 (12/16) |
T3. SMU |
7. CWU |
8. MSUB |
10. NNU |
RV WWU |
| Week 8 (1/6) |
1. SMU |
T4. NNU |
10. MSUB |
|
|
| Week 9 (1/13) |
1. SMU |
T5. NNU |
10. CWU |
RV MSUB |
|
| Week 10 (1/20) |
4. SMU |
5. NNU |
6. CWU |
|
|
| Week 11 (1/27) |
2. SMU |
5. NNU |
7. CWU |
|
|
| Week 12 (2/3) |
3. SMU |
6. CWU |
8. NNU |
|
|
| Date |
Player of the Week |
School |
| 11/4 |
Myles Samuels |
Saint Martin's |
| 11/11 |
Will Wilson |
Western Washington |
| 11/18 |
Louis Grante-Halliday |
Western Washington |
| 11/25 |
Irish Coquia |
Simon Fraser |
| 12/2 |
Garrett Anderson |
Central Washington |
| 12/9 |
Bishop Tosi |
Alaska Anchorage |
| 12/23 |
Kye Dickson |
Northwest Nazarene |
| 1/6 |
Sean Evans |
Alaska Anchorage |
| 1/13 |
Jaxon Nap |
Seattle Pacific |
| 1/20 |
Will Wilson |
Western Washington |
| 1/27 |
Kael Robinson |
Montana State Billings |
| 2/3 |
Brendon Johnson |
Montana State Billings |
Feb. 3 GNAC Men’s Basketball Player of the Week
Brendon Johnson – Montana State Billings
First-career player of the week.
Johnson led the Yellowjackets to a pair of big victories at home, as they upended No. 25 Saint Martin’s 73-65 and topped Western Oregon 90-68 last week. Producing consistent performances in both games, Johnson started his week with 20 points, nine rebounds, four assists and three steals while playing 39 of 40 minutes in the win over the Saints. He followed with 19 points, five rebounds and two more assists in the win over the Wolves, and matched his season high with five made 3-pointers. Overall on the week Johnson shot 75.0% (12-for-16) and his seven made 3-pointers were third-most among any GNAC player last week. In his first season with the Yellowjackets, Johnson is averaging 13.0 points per game and 5.1 rebounds per game while starting all 24 contests and shooting 49.3% overall.
MSUB Head Coach Luke Fennelly: “Brendon’s skill level was on full display last week. He not only was an efficient scorer for us but also rebounded and passed the ball very well. His versatility was really a difference-maker during our homestand, and hopefully we can build on that as we hit the road this week.”
Also Nominated: Hasaan Herrington, UAA; Isaiah Saams-Hoy, UAF; Maverick Sanders, CWU; Kye Dickson, NNU; Myles Samuels, SMU; Mason Landdeck, SPU; Irish Coquia, SFU; Tijan Saine, WWU.
| 2024-25 All-Tournament Selections |
D2CCA Tipoff Classic at the Trailhead
Nov. 1-3 at Billings, Mont. (Montana State Billings, Host)
Alaska Anchorage: Tyler Burraston
MSU Billings: Famous Lefthand; Kael Robinson
D2CCA Canadian Tipoff Classic
Nov. 1-3 at Langley, B.C. (Simon Fraser, Host)
Saint Martin’s: Myles Samuels; Jaden Nielsen-Skinner; Jayshawn Moore
West Region Crossover
Nov. 8-9 at Bellingham, Wash. (Western Washington, Host)
Simon Fraser: Luke Howard
Western Washington: Will Wilson (MVP); Grant Kepley; Trevor White
| 2024-25 GNAC Men's Basketball Preseason All-Conference Team |
| Preseason Player of the Year: Jalen Tot, Montana State Billings |
| Name |
School |
Position |
Height |
Year |
Hometown |
Previous School |
| Dillon Barrientos |
Alaska Anchorage |
Guard |
6-1 |
Senior |
Santa Clarita, CA |
College of the Canyons |
| Bishop Tosi |
Alaska Anchorage |
Forward |
6-6 |
Junior |
Anchorage, AK |
Bellevue College |
| Jordan Clark |
Central Washington |
Guard |
6-2 |
Sophomore |
Renton, WA |
Seattle Christian |
| Maverick Sanders |
Central Washington |
Forward |
6-6 |
Sophomore |
Spokane, WA |
Mt. Spokane |
| Famous Lefthand |
Montana State Billings |
Guard |
6-3 |
Senior |
Crow Agency, MT |
United Tribes Tech. Coll. |
| Jalen Tot |
Montana State Billings |
Guard |
6-0 |
Senior |
Dallas, TX |
Dawson CC |
| Ryzin Bergersen |
Northwest Nazarene |
Guard |
6-4 |
Senior |
Boise, ID |
Borah |
| Aaron Murphy |
Northwest Nazarene |
Forward |
6-7 |
Senior |
Tracy, CA |
Modesto Christian |
| Jaden Nielsen-Skinner |
Saint Martin's |
Guard |
5-10 |
Senior |
Salem, OR |
Portland State |
| Myles Samuels |
Saint Martin's |
Guard |
6-5 |
Junior |
West Palm Beach, FL |
Northeast Oklahoma A&M |
| Owen Moriarty |
Seattle Pacific |
Guard |
6-2 |
Junior |
Seattle, WA |
O'Dea |
| Jaxon Nap |
Seattle Pacific |
Guard |
6-7 |
Junior |
Newcastle, WA |
Montana |
| Jason Gallant |
Western Oregon |
Guard |
6-4 |
Senior |
Simi Valley, CA |
Colorado Christian |
| Tijan Saine |
Western Washington |
Guard |
5-11 |
Sophomore |
Everett, WA |
Mariner |
| Will Wilson |
Western Washington |
Guard |
6-4 |
Senior |
Lorton, VA |
Mt. Hood CC |