Men’s basketball is the best surprise in Western sports this year so far, and Tijan Saine and Garrett Levesque are among the reasons why.
Going into the regular season’s final two games, the Vikings have clinched a spot in the postseason Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championship tournament but are eying bigger things: hoping to play in the NCAA Division II tournament for the first time since 2017. (The Vikings qualified in 2020, but the pandemic forced cancellation of the event.)
The GNAC winner gets an automatic bid, but at-large slots are also in play, raising the stakes for Western to finish strong.
Western is the hottest team in the conference, playing better than its fourth-place standing (10-6 GNAC, 18-8 overall). The Vikings have won 10 of their last 11 games, digging out from a 0-5 conference start and throwing away the shovel.
“This year, our pride and our defensive efforts, we take it to that next level,” said Saine, who came to Western from Everett’s Mariner High and is the cousin of Viking hoops alum BJ Kolly. “I feel like we have a lot to unlock still.”
Saine and Levesque have helped turn things around. Soon after returning from an injured ankle, Saine’s coast-to-coast buzzer-beating layup on Jan. 16 helped beat No. 17 nationally ranked Saint Martin’s, 77-75. Nine days later, Levesque, one of only two former NCAA Division I players on the roster, sank a rare 3-point attempt with three seconds left to beat Simon Fraser, 79-77.
Saine, the undersized (listed at 5-foot-11) but over-performing redshirt sophomore guard, has been on a tear the past three games, scoring a total 93 points to lead the team in scoring (16.6 points per game). Levesque, a 6-6 forward and junior transfer from the University of Texas El Paso, leads the team in rebounding (averaging 6.4 a game) and steals (43).
The most remarkable part is when the season started, coach Tony Dominguez had little idea what kind of team he’d have. Only six players returned, with a program-high 10 new to the team.
The newbies included Levesque, a California and Texas kid plucked from the transfer portal who first connected with Saine, literally and metaphorically, when Saine tossed him a lob pass during an open gym session last spring, when new recruits try to make their mark. The gym went nuts.
“My family members thought I was crazy” to come to Western, little-known in Texas hoops circles, said Levesque, playing for his third school in four years. “I just told them I’d rather go someplace where I think I’ll succeed, and where I’m wanted and where I think I’ll gel the best …That’s one of the big reasons I stayed. (At open gym) playing and talking with (players), I felt just really good. It was just a good vibe — you’ll have fun and it was good basketball.”
The Vikings are counting on both — the fun and the good hoops — to continue.
Noteworthy
The defending national runners-up softball team (11-4) is on a tear, winning 10 straight as it heads into Saturday’s home-opening doubleheader. The Vikings beat Western Oregon, 11-4, and Simon Fraser, 3-0, in non-conference games on Friday, Feb. 21. Pitcher Joie Baker and first baseman Olivia Matlock earned Great Northwestern Athletic Conference Pitcher and Player of the Week honors, the second-straight time Western has swept the awards. Baker threw nine scoreless innings in both starts. Matlock went a combined 7-for-13, hitting 11 RBI with a double and grand slam.
Quoteworthy
“It seems like every time I drive past the batting cage she is in there putting in extra work,” coach Sheryl Gilmore said of Matlock. “Olivia is clutch with runners in scoring position and 11 RBI in two days is pretty incredible.”
BEST BETS
7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 27 – Men’s basketball vs. Central Washington University, Bellingham. It’s a tilt between the conference’s two hottest teams — Western has won 10 of the past 11 games; GNAC No. 1 team Central has won 11 of 13.
7 p.m. Saturday, March 1 – Men’s basketball vs. Northwest Nazarene, Bellingham. Fourth-place Western finishes its regular season playing the GNAC’s top two teams — a win over No. 2 Northwest Nazarene will likely have seeding implications for the conference tournament March 6–8.
11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Saturday, March 1 – Softball vs. Simon Fraser, Bellingham. Home-opening doubleheader for the defending NCAA Division II runners-up, now ranked No. 10 in the nation. They have outscored opponents 71-16 on their 10-game winning streak.
IF YOU GO
Tickets. See wwuvikings.com/Tickets or in person one hour prior to game time.
Parking. Free for sports. For basketball, lot 19G for general audience; 9G for season ticket holders. For softball, C lots are free. See the map at wwu.edu/parking.
Can’t make it? Stream it
All home games and most road contests are streamed via a live and free YouTube webcast. Find links online at cascadiadaily.com.
If you have a smart TV, search for “WWU Athletics” on YouTube.
We want to hear from you
Got a WWU sports-related news tip or interesting item for this notebook, or a good story idea? We’re all ears. Send to newstips@cascadiadaily.com, subject line: WWU sports notebook
Meri-Jo Borzilleri is a freelance journalist and former 20-year sports reporter.
