PORTLAND, Ore. - The GNAC released the results of the 2023-24 Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll on Tuesday, with Northwest Nazarene picked second out of the 10 teams.

NNU earned 85 points in the poll and one first-place vote, only trailing Saint Martin's at the top with 98 points and nine first-place votes. Central Washington is third with 72 points, Western Washington fourth with 66 points, and Montana State Billings and Seattle Pacific tied for fifth at 52 points.

After ending the 2022-23 regular season in a tie for fourth in the conference standings, the Nighthawks rolled through the GNAC Tournament with three-straight impressive wins. NNU took down the top three seeds in the GNAC tourney in order, defeating three-seed Seattle Pacific in the quarterfinal, 2-seed Montana State Billings in the semifinal, and 1-seed Saint Martin's in the title game. The Nighthawks outscored their three opponents 201-169, holding them to an average of just 56 points that was highlighted by a 38-point stifling of MSUB.

NNU's reward for their stunning run to claim the GNAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament was a matchup with the No. 4 team in the country in Point Loma. The Nighthawks hung with the Sea Lions for the majority of the game but ultimately fell by 14 with free throws extending the PLNU lead significantly late. 

The Nighthawks look to build off the strong finish to last season as they return the majority of the 2022-23 squad. Both All-GNAC players (Gabriel Murphy on Second Team and Tru Allen as Honorable Mention) are back, as well as the GNAC Championships MVP in Ryzin Bergersen. Just under 80% of last years' scoring is back, led by Allen at 12.1 points per game, Murphy at 11.6 points per game, and Bergersen at 11.3 points per game. Murphy nearly averaged a double-double as well with 8.2 rebounds per game.

Christian Rose (5.6 ppg, 5.0 rpg) also returns to round out four of the five starters back with the team in 2023-24. Yaru Harvey (7.1 ppg), Aaron Murphy (6.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg), Mason Machado (57.9 FG%), and Jaylen Fox (55.6 3pt%) also return to bolster and deepen the lineup. 

NNU also has five redshirt freshmen that will look to make an impact after sitting out last season with Rayzhon Bergersen, Cameron Holliway, Easton Reagan, Cade Rubright, and Nathan Perez. The Nighthawks have also added transfers Dylan Engler and Garret Long along with true freshmen Blaine Granberg and Cyrus Turley.

After eight seasons as an assistant with the program, first-year head coach Jon Hawkins will look to continue the success that he and Paul Rush, who transitioned from the head coaching job into the NNU Athletic Director chair, have built together for nearly a decade. Under their leadership, NNU has qualified for the GNAC Tournament four years in a row and has finished with a winning percentage of .500 or above in every season.

The Nighthawks will begin their year with the first round of the 2023 United Heritage Mayors' Cup, visiting rival College of Idaho for an exhibition on Nov. 9 at 7:00 p.m. in Caldwell. The regular season tips off at home two days later when NNU hosts Walla Walla at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 11 to wrap up Homecoming festivities.

 

Rank	Team (FPV)	Points
1	Saint Martin's (9)	98
2	Northwest Nazarene (1)	85
3	Central Washington	72
4	Western Washington	66
T5	Montana State Billings	52
T5	Seattle Pacific	55
7	Alaska Anchorage	40
8	Western Oregon	36
9	Alaska Fairbanks	31
10	Simon Fraser	18