SPOKANE, Wash. – The pair of Whitworth men's basketball players that took turns leading the Pirates to victory after victory throughout the 2024-25 season have garnered first team All-Northwest Conference recognition, according to the official release from the NWC office today.

Jake Holtz, a graduate student from Kapolei, Hawaii, and Garrett Long, a senior from Wenatchee, Washington, netted the honors.  The pair finished the regular season second and third, respectively, in NWC scoring average.

Holtz, a forward, led Whitworth in scoring this season with an average of 16.4 points per game.  He made 54% of his shots from the field.  Holtz had season-highs of 29 points (Jan. 4 vs. Puget Sound), 11 rebounds (Dec. 19 at Texas Lutheran), five assists (Feb. 8 at Willamette) and four steals (Jan. 4 vs. UPS).  He was selected as the NWC men's basketball Student-Athlete of the Week twice during the season, on November 18 and December 9.  Holtz finished his Pirate career with 1544 points, which ranks ninth all-time at Whitworth.

Long, a point guard, posted an average of 15.8 points per game to rank third in the conference.  He also ranked fourth in assists per game (3.5) and second in assists to turnover ratio (2.2).  Long matched Holtz with a season-high 29 points in a win at Cal Lutheran (Nov. 21).  He added nine rebounds in a win over Hardin-Simmons (Dec. 7) and had five assists on multiple occasions.  Long had four steals at Schreiner (Dec. 18).  Long started every game this season and led the Pirates in minutes played (32.2 per game), which was third in the NWC.

This pair of Pirates led Whitworth to a 22-4 overall record.  Whitworth went unbeaten against non-conference opponents (9-0), including wins over two teams in the 2025 NCAA Division III tournament – Cal Lutheran and Hardin Simmons.  The Bucs won their second consecutive regular season title, and third in the last four seasons, with a 13-3 mark.