BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The defending conference champion Western Washington University men’s basketball team placed three players on the 2017-18 Preseason Great Northwest Athletic Conference All-Conference Team, announced Friday from the league headquarters in Portland, Ore.

WWU led all GNAC schools with three selections to the 15-member team, with senior forward Deandre Dickson (Easton, CA/Washington Union/Bakersfield College), sophomore forward Daulton Hommes (Lynden, WA/Lynden Christian) and junior guard Trey Drechsel (Woodinville, WA/Cedar Park Christian) all earning votes from league coaches to the preseason team. Dickson and Hommes were both unanimous selections after being named All-GNAC Honorable Mention in 2016-17.

Dickson returns for his senior season after having a standout junior campaign coming off the bench as the Vikings sixth man. He appeared in 22 of 31 games for the GNAC regular season and conference tournament champions, averaging 14.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game. Among GNAC leaders, he ranked 2nd in field goal percentage (62.0/116-for-187), 9th in block shots, 10th in rebounding and 17th in scoring average. He scored in double-digits in 17 games and recorded four double-doubles.

Hommes started all 31 games as a redshirt freshman in 2016-17 while labeling himself as one of the best all-around players in the league. He averaged 12.5 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 0.5 steals per game in his rookie campaign. Hommes was the top 3-point shooter in the conference with 47.9% accuracy, connecting on 46-for-96 shots from long distance. Among GNAC leaders he finished 5th in field goal percentage (56.7%/139-for-245), 7th in free throw percentage (82.7/62-for-75), 11th in rebounding and 17th in blocked shots (0.7/game).

Drechsel started the first 16 games of the season before suffering a season-ending foot injury Jan. 14 at Western Oregon. In the first 15 games of the season he averaged 10.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.3 steals per game. Prior to his season-ending surgery, Drechsel ranked among the top five in the league in assists and top 20 in rebounding. In two seasons with the Vikings, Drechsel is averaging 11.0 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game (35 games/32 starts).

Western Oregon’s Tanner Omlid was a unanimous selection as the league’s preseason player of the year.

The Vikings close out the preseason hosting Quest in an exhibition game on Wednesday, Nov. 1 at 7 pm on WECU Court at Carver Gym, before starting the regular-season schedule with the PacWest/GNAC Challenge in Bellingham on Nov. 10-11. The Vikings officially open the 2017-18 season against Notre Dame de Namur on Friday, Nov. 10 at 7:30 pm and face Hawai’i Hilo the following evening on Nov. 11 at 7:30 pm.

The PacWest/GNAC Challenge marks the start of a stretch of eight consecutive home games for WWU to begin the regular season. The complete 2017-18 schedule can be viewed online at WWUVikings.com.

The GNAC preseason coaches poll and the NABC national preseason poll will be announced on Tuesday.