Northwest Nazarene seniors Andrew King and Briggs Ranstrom earned spots on the GNAC’s 2026-27 preseason All-Conference team. Their recognition comes as NNU enters the season picked third in the conference, with Ranstrom returning as a proven starter and King joining the Nighthawks after playing at three other colleges.

By the Numbers
  • 15 players made the preseason team, representing all 10 GNAC programs.
  • NNU was picked third with 80 points and 3 first-place votes after going 18-11 overall and 12-6 in conference play last season.
  • Ranstrom averaged 7.9 points and a team-leading 6.0 rebounds in 29 starts last season.
  • King averaged 2.8 points in 32 games at Youngstown State in 2025-26.
Yes, But

Preseason honors signal expectations, not results: King is new to NNU, while Ranstrom’s recognition follows an Honorable Mention All-GNAC season rather than a first-team selection.

State of Play
  • Alaska Anchorage’s Sylas Williams was named preseason Player of the Year.
  • Ranstrom has started all 55 games he has played for NNU across two seasons.
  • Coach Jon Hawkins expects King to organize the offense and Ranstrom to help set the team’s identity.
Bottom Line

NNU’s preseason standing reflects confidence in a roster led by Ranstrom’s consistency and King’s playmaking potential; translating that promise into a stronger conference finish is the challenge ahead.