PORTLAND, Ore – The Great Northwest Athletic Conference announced its 2022-23 Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll on Wednesday afternoon, with Seattle Pacific picked for a fifth-place finish.
"We are excited to begin the season," head coach Grant Leep said. "Our players are working hard to get ready to compete in the GNAC. We have enough experience back that our team understands the true test of our ability will be decided on how we navigate the quality and depth of the teams in our conference."
Saint Martin's earned the top spot in the conference with three first-place votes and 81 points. Teams with first-place votes include Northwest Nazarene (2), Montana State University Billings (3), Western Washington (2), and Western Oregon (1).
| Place |
Team |
Points |
| 1. |
Saint Martin's (3) |
81 |
| 2. |
Northwest Nazarene (2) |
78 |
| 3. |
MSU Billings (3) |
69 |
| 4. |
Western Washington (1) |
66 |
| 5. |
Seattle Pacific |
60 |
| 6. |
Alaska Anchorage |
53 |
| 7. |
Central Washington |
52 |
| 8. |
Western Oregon (1) |
48 |
| 9. |
Simon Fraser |
23 |
| 10. |
Alaska Fairbanks |
20 |
The Falcons are coming off a 2021-22 season in which they went 14-13 before exiting the GNAC Tournament in the first round. This year's roster features six returners and 10 newcomers. Shaw Anderson returns after scoring 13.8 points per game on his way to GNAC Honorable Mention last season.
Maui Sze, DJ Clark, and Ben Baker-McCann enter SPU by way of transfer. Sze spent two seasons at Bellevue College, where he was named the NWAC Freshman of the Year and made the All-NWAC North First Team. Clark spent a season at Skagit Valley College, where he earned All-NWAC Second Team honors. Baker-McCann calls Berkeley, Calif. home. He was a First Team All-League selection four times in high school.
Jonas La Tour and Julian Mora enter SPU as decorated true freshmen. La Tour was named the Class 2A State Player of the Year in 2022. His best high school game came on a night when he scored 57 points. La Tour also has a ring, as North Kitsap won the 2A state title in 2020. He's a two-time Olympic League MVP as well. Mora was named the Greater Valley Conference Player of the Year in 2022. He was also a four-time All-Great Valley Selection and was on the Oregon All-State team as a senior.
The first chance to see the Falcons in action happens on Tuesday, Nov. 1 when they host Lincoln University in an exhibition at 7 p.m.
