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Nov. 2, 2012

BELLINGHAM, Wash. - The Western Washington University men's basketball team opens its 2012-13 campaign Friday (7 p.m.), Nov. 9, entertaining Multnomah University at Sam Carver Gymnasium on the WWU campus.

The defending NCAA Division II champions then travel to Hawaii for contests against BYU-Hawaii on Monday (7:30 p.m. HT), Nov. 12, and Chaminade on Wednesday (7:30 HT), Nov. 14.

The Multnomah contest will be broadcast live on KBAI Radio (930 AM - Bellingham) with Doug Lange providing the play-by-play and Mark Scholten handling the color commentary.

The Vikings, who are ranked No.6 in the National Association of Basketball Coaches Preseason Top 25 poll (received one first-place vote) released today, accounted well for themselves in a pair of road exhibition games two weeks ago against NCAA I opponents. They lost 88-78 at Washington on Oct. 24 and fell 105-87 at Duke, ranked No.8 in the Associated Press Preseason Poll, on Oct. 27.

WWU trailed by just two points, 74-72, against Washington with 4:30 to play, and versus Duke was within 11, 69-58, with 13:58 to go and 14, 99-85, with 2:13 remaining.

The 18-point margin was the closest any defending DII national championship team had gotten to Duke since the Blue Devils began inviting those squads for exhibitions six years ago.

In the combined second half of the games with Washington and Duke, the Vikings trailed by just four points.

WWU guard John Allen (Sr., Brier/Montlake Terrace) and center Chris Mitchell (Sr., Everson/Mountlake Terrace) each scored a team-high 17 points against Washington and forward Paul Jones (Sr., Kent/Kent-Meridian) added 15.

Allen is the Great Northwest Athletic Conference preseason Player of the Year choice and a Division II Bulletin Super 16 pick.

Jones led the Vikings versus Duke with 20 points, 14 in the second half. Allen had 17, guard Richard Woodworth (Jr., Bellevue/Newport) 13 and Rico Wilkins (Sr., Dallas, TX/DeSoto) added 12 off the bench.

Besides Allen, Jones and Woodworth were selected to the GNAC preseason all-conference team.

WWU was picked No.8 nationally in the Division II Bulletin preseason poll.

Multnomah, which is counting the WWU contest as an exhibition, is 1-5 overall, losing its last four games

BYU Hawaii returns three starters from last year's 17-10 team that placed second in the Pacific West Conference (14-4). They are 6-2 senior guard Okesene Ale (11.5 ppg,), a second-team PacWest all-star, 6-7 junior forward Bracken Funk (12.4 ppg & 7.7 rpg) and 6-3 sophomore guard Pablo Coro (4.8 ppg & 3.5 apg).

Also back for coach Ken Wagner (23rd year, 431-199) is 6-8 senior center Brady Hurst (8.5 ppg & 4.7 rpg). Two talented junior college transfers are 6-10 junior center DeAndre Medlock from Fresno City and 6-7 junior forward Greg Anderson from Palomar.

WWU leads the series 7-6 with BYUH winning the last meeting, 91-88, in 2005-06.

Chaminade returns a solid corps from last season's 11-14 team for second-year coach Eric Bovaird, who spent seven seasons as the top assistant at West Liberty WV.

The top returnees are 6-0 sophomore guard Lee Bailey (13.5 ppg & 3.6 apg), the PacWest co-Freshman of the Year, 6-5 senior forward Bennie Murray (13.8 ppg), 6-4 senior guard DeAndre Haskins (10.4 ppg), who missed the 2011-12 campaign with an injury, and 6-4 senior forward Dominique Cooks (9.2 ppg & 5.0 rpg).

A big addition is 6-6 sophomore center Mike Green, a transfer from Akron.

WWU has never lost in four meetings with the Silverswords.

NABC/Division II Coaches Poll (Nov. 2, 2012 - Preseason poll)

Record Points Previous

1. West Liberty, W.Va. (12 first place votes) 32-3 394 3
2. Washburn, Kan. 25-8 365 19
3. Alabama-Huntsville (1 first place vote) 29-4 341 2
4. Bellarmine, Ky. (2 first place votes) 29-4 334 4
5. Metropolitan State, Colo. 25-7 303 13
6. Western Washington (1 first place vote) 31-5 278 12
7. Winona State, Minn. 25-5 271 NR
8. Findlay, Ohio 24-7 244 25
9. Seattle Pacific, Wash. 23-8 231 NR
10. Franklin Pierce, N.H. 22-8 209 NR
11. Montevallo, Ala. 29-8 190 22 12. Southern Indiana 24-7 170 6
13. Colorado School of Mines 29-3 154 1
14. Saint Leo, Fla. 18-12 150 NR
15. Winston-Salem State, N.C. 21-9 140 NR
16. Christian Brothers, Tenn. 25-7 129 8 17. Tarleton State, Texas 27-6 123 9
18. Lincoln Memorial, Tenn. 26-6 117 24
19. Arkansas Tech 26-6 110 15
20. Chico State, Calif. 25-8 98 NR
21. Bloomfield, N.J. 26-8 93 NR
22. Stonehill, Mass. 25-9 79 NR
23. Midwestern State, Texas 27-6 73 NR
24. Barton, N.C. 20-10 68 NR
25. Cal Poly Pomona 19-8 58 NR\

Others receiving votes: Shaw (N.C.) 55, Florida Southern 47, Southwest Minnesota State 42,Indiana (Pa.) 36, Northwest Missouri State 33, St. Cloud State (Minn.) 28, Benedict (S.C.) 22, Bowie State (Md.) 21, Hillsdale (Mich.) 21, East Stroudsburg (Pa.) 15, West Texas A&M 14, Wingate (N.C.) 14, Drury (Mo.) 13, LIU Post (N.Y.) 13, Charleston (W.Va.) 11, Indianapolis (Ind.) 11, Cal State-San Bernardino 9, South Carolina Aiken 9, Augusta State (Ga.) 8, Dixie State (Utah) 8, Michigan Tech 8, Massachusetts-Lowell 7, Central Missouri 6, Grand Canyon (Ariz.) 6, Missouri-St. Louis 6, Central