ANCHORAGE (Dec. 9) – The Alaska Anchorage men’s basketball team has secured its second commitment this fall from a top Class of 2012 prep player as head coach Rusty Osborne announced Friday the signing of Collin Spickerman to a National Letter of Intent.
The 6-9, 205-pound West Linn, Ore., native is currently rated the No. 1 forward in Oregon by Northwest Hoops.com as he embarks on his senior season at three-time defending Class 6A state-Jesuit High School. In the ESPN recruiting rankings, Spickerman is currently rated No. 7 overall in Oregon, No. 81 overall in the West, and No. 119 nationally among power forwards.
As a junior, Spickerman played behind current University of Kentucky freshman Kyle Wiltjer, however he has already come into his own this season with 12 points and 12 rebounds in a season-opening win over Sprague, followed by a 12-block performance in a victory over David Douglas.
“Our staff is very excited that Collin has signed early to be a Seawolf and grateful to his family for the confidence they have in our program,” said Osborne, currently in his eighth season as UAA’s head coach. “When evaluating potential recruits, Collin kept coming back as someone who would be a great fit in our system. Although he did not play a lot last year in a loaded Jesuit program, he had a great summer as evidenced by his national rankings and the schools who were recruiting him.”
Spickerman was also recruited by several Division I programs, including St. Mary’s, Weber State, UC Santa Barbara, Santa Clara and Hawaii.
“We believe he will continue to blossom as he gains more experience and strength,” Osborne added. “He has the ability to play inside but will eventually be a power forward with the ability to shoot outside and pass the ball. He moves extremely well for his size and already has a great feel for blocking and affecting shots on the defensive end. It has been very rare for our program to get true young post players and we are looking forward to helping Collin develop over the next four years. With primarily upperclassman in our front court, it was important for us to add at least two young forwards with size. Collin gives us a great start toward that goal.”
Spickerman becomes the second player to sign with the Seawolves for 2012-13, joining fellow Oregon prep standout John Erickson, a 6-4 guard from Sisters High School.
UAA, currently 4-2, is No. 22 in the latest NCAA Div. II rankings. The Seawolves were the preseason pick to win the Great Northwest Athletic Conference in this year’s preseason coaches’ poll.
--GoSeawolves.com--
Nate Sagan
Sports Information Director
University of Alaska Anchorage
3211 Providence Dr. / Anchorage, AK 99508
(907) 786-1295 / Fax: (907) 563-4565
GoSeawolves.com
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