CWU men’s basketball team wins conference title on home court

The CWU men's basketball team took full advantage of the home-court advantage over the weekend to win the 2024 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Tournament and earn a spot in the NCAA Division II National Tournament.

After coming back late to defeat Montana State-Billings on Friday in the semifinals at Nicholson Arena, the Wildcats defeated Alaska Anchorage, 78-69, on Saturday to win their conference title since 2011. Senior team leader Samaad Hector scored 22 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to earn tournament MVP honors.

“I'll say it again: I appreciate our fans,” Hector told WildcatSports.com. “We wouldn't be able to do this without them and they bring us that extra energy we need even when things aren't going our way. That has been helpful all season long.”

Senior guard Camron McNeil talked about what winning the GNAC championship means to the players, the program, and the university.

"It is unbelievable. I don't think I have come to the realization yet that we actually won it,” he said. “I think I need to go to sleep and wake up and let it verify it for itself again."

With the win, the Wildcats (21-9) earned an automatic bid into the NCAA Division II tourney, and will be the No. 5 seed in the West Region. They will take on No. 4 seed Cal State Dominguez Hills Toros on Friday in Los Angeles.

CWU head coach Brandon Rinta echoed his players’ excitement after winning the program’s first GNAC championship in 13 years. The victory is CWU’s 34^th conference championship of all time.

“In the game of basketball, I believe you got to have the talent, but a close second is leadership,” Rinta said. “And these two guys, Samaad Hector and Camron McNeil, are as good of leaders as I have coached in 23 years.”