WWU opens with exhibitions against Washington and Duke

Defending NCAA Division II men's basketball national champion Western Washington University faces the toughest preseason schedule in school history with exhibition games at two NCAA I schools.

The Vikings travel to University of Washington on Wednesday (7 p.m.), Oct. 24, and then fly to Durham, N.C., to meet Duke University on Saturday (2 p.m. ET), Oct. 27.

At Washington, WWU faces former head coach Brad Jackson, who became a Husky assistant in late August after 27 years directing the Vikings' program. Jackson won 518 games during that stretch, the third highest total by any coach in the state of Washington, and directed WWU to its first national hoop title and a 31-5 record in 2011-12.

The exhibition meeting is the third for WWU with the Huskies. The Vikings lost 105-85 on Nov. 7, 2008, and fell 81-76 on Nov. 9, 2001, after holding a seven-point lead with six minutes to go.

WWU has not won in 17 regular-season meetings with the UW, falling 76-59 in the last encounter early in the 1982-83 season. That was the Vikings' first meeting with the Huskies since the 1940s.

UW head coach Lorenzo Romar is beginning his 11th campaign at the school with a record of 219-113 and six NCAA tournament appearances. Last year, the Huskies won the regular-season PAC-12 Conference title and reached the NIT semifinals. The meeting with Duke is a first for the Vikings.

The game marks the fifth time in the last six seasons that Duke has invited the defending NCAA II champion to play on its home court in an exhibition. Last season, Bellarmine KY lost 87-62 to the Blue Devils before a crowd of 9,314. Cal Poly Pomona fell 84-60 in 2010 and Findlay OH lost 84-48 in 2009.

Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, known as "Coach K," has won four NCAA I titles and made 11 trips to the Final Four as he begins his 33rd season at Duke. He is the winningest NCAA I coach in men's basketball history with an overall record of 927-290 (37 seasons).

Krzyzewski also coached the United States national men's basketball team, to gold medals at both the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympic Games and the 2010 FIBA World Championships. He was an assistant coach on the 1992 Olympic gold medal winning "Dream Team."

Tony Dominguez, who took over as WWU head coach after 17 seasons as a Viking assistant, has eight returning letter winners, including three starters, from last year's national championship squad that posted a 31-5 record, the win total being a school best.

Five seniors are in that group, including two of the first stringers - guard John Allen (Brier/Mountlake Terrace) and center Chris Mitchell (Everson/Nooksack Valley).

The Vikings have the most experience in the backcourt where Allen is joined by another returning starter in junior Richard Woodworth (Bellevue/Newport) and a key reserve in senior Rico Wilkins (Dallas, TX/DeSoto).

Allen, who was named the Most Outstanding Player at the West Regional, has been a second-team all-Great Northwest Athletic Conference pick each of the last two seasons. He averaged 14.6 points a game a year ago, ranking 10th nationally in free throw percentage at 89.5 percent (94-of-105) and also hitting 41.1 percent (76-of-185) of his three-point attempts.

Woodworth, an all-tournament pick at the Elite Eight, averaged 10.6 points, 4.5 rebounds and a team-high 3.0 assists, leading WWU in three-point percentage (45.2, 35-of-84).

Wilkins, the quickest Viking, was a major force off the bench last season, averaging 7.3 points.

In the front court, Mitchell is the lone returning starter, although senior forward Paul Jones (Kent/Kent-Meridian) was also a critical part of the rotation last season.

Mitchell averaged 6.8 points and 4.4 rebounds. He hit 42.9 percent (39-of-91) on three-pointers, including a 4-of-5 performance in the national championship game.

Jones averaged 7.9 points and 4.4 rebounds off the bench last season. He will join Allen and Woodworth as one of three team captains.

Two more players with extensive experience return on the perimeter. Senior Cameron Severson (Petersburg, AK) is a three-year letter winner who averaged 2.3 points last year, and junior Dane Thorpe (Bellingham/Sehome) also contributed 2.3 points.

Rounding out the returnees are senior forward Damien Fisher (Fife), who saw action in seven contests last year, and junior guard Alfred Davis (Tacoma/Lincoln), who redshirted.

Two transfers will add strength in the front court. Junior center Austin Bragg (Longview/Mark Morris) averaged 15.0 points and 10.2 rebounds for Clark CC last year, and also redshirted a year at Washington State. Sophomore forward Anye Turner (Tumwater/Black Hills) contributed 15.3 points, 2.2 blocks and 11.9 rebounds at South Puget Sound CC last year.

Bragg and Turner were Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges Western Region all-stars and all-defensive picks.

A freshman who may contribute is forward Joey Schreiber (Renton), a first-team Class 3A all-state pick at Eastside Catholic High School.