NAMPA, Idaho – Northwest Nazarene men's basketball was picked to finish third in the 2026-27 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches Poll, announced by the conference Thursday.
The Nighthawks received three first-place votes and 80 total points, trailing only preseason favorite Saint Martin's and Central Washington. Saint Martin's earned six first-place votes and 88 points, while Central Washington received one first-place vote and 84 points.
NNU enters the 2026-27 campaign following its second consecutive trip to the NCAA West Region Championships. The Nighthawks finished last season with an 18-11 overall record and a 12-6 mark in GNAC play, tying Alaska Anchorage for second in the conference standings. NNU's season came to an end against Point Loma in the opening round of the NCAA West Regional.
Head coach
Jon Hawkins enters his third season leading the Nighthawks with a 55-29 overall record and a 38-16 mark in conference play. His .704 winning percentage in GNAC games ranks third all-time among conference coaches with multiple seasons at the helm, trailing only Western Oregon's Jim Shaw (.788) and Seattle Pacific's Ryan Looney (.762).
Saint Martin's tops the preseason poll after going 26-6 overall and 15-3 in conference play last season. Alaska Anchorage was picked fourth with 62 points, followed by Montana State Billings with 61 and Alaska with 56.
The Nighthawks will open the season on November 7 against Walla Walla (Wash., NAIA) on Homecoming Weekend. They follow that up with the
United Heritage Mayors' Cup against College of Idaho on November 10 in Nampa and November 17 in Caldwell. The Nighthawks will open the conference season on the road against Montana State Billings. Their conference home opener will take place on December 31 against Alaska Fairbanks.
2026-27 GNAC Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll
| Rank |
Team (First-Place Votes) |
Points |
| 1 |
Saint Martin's (6) |
88 |
| 2 |
Central Washington (1) |
84 |
| 3 |
Northwest Nazarene (3) |
80 |
| 4 |
Alaska Anchorage |
62 |
| 5 |
Montana State Billings |
61 |
| 6 |
Alaska |
56 |
| 7 |
Western Washington |
47 |
| 8 |
Seattle Pacific |
36 |
| 9 |
Western Oregon |
19 |
| 10 |
Simon Fraser |
17 |
