Seawolf men land former D-I point guard Marcus Jackson

ANCHORAGE (Sept. 1) – The Alaska Anchorage men’s basketball team added a dynamic guard to its 2011-12 roster Thursday as head coach Rusty Osborne announced that Marcus Jackson has transferred from Division I Arizona State to play for the Seawolves.

The 6-2, 185-pound guard becomes the second player in as many seasons to come to UAA from ASU, joining former Sun Devils teammate Taylor Rohde, who earned First Team All-Great Northwest Athletic Conference honors last year.

Jackson, from Sacramento, Calif., spent two seasons at ASU, seeing action in 16 games. As a sophomore last year, he saw extended playing time in January, tallying four assists and two steals in a victory over Tulsa, and logging 15 minutes in a pair of Pacific-10 Conference games.

“Marcus is a great addition to our program both on and off the floor,” said Osborne, who starts his eighth season at the Seawolf helm in November. “After losing Drew Robinson and Bryce Arnott, we had a need for another experienced point guard. Marcus brings Pac-10 experience to the position and will work well with our two returning point guards, Steve White and Kyle Fossman. He has good skill, and his size and leadership ability will be very valuable. We expect him to have an immediate impact on both ends of the floor.”

As a prep, Jackson was a 4-year starter at Sheldon High School from 2005-09, where he was a first-team All-Delta League and Sacramento Area Metro Team pick in his junior and senior seasons. As a senior he led the Delta League with 6.3 assists per game while averaging 15.5 points, despite playing midseason injury. As a junior he averaged 16.1 points and 6.1 assists, and as a sophomore he captained the Huskies to the school’s first-ever Sac-Joaquin Section championship.

Jackson is also an accomplished student, graduating eighth in his high school class of more than 500, and studying in ASU’s prestigious Barrett Honors College. He will major in mechanical engineering at UAA.

 

“Marcus is a tremendous student-athlete in every sense and will be a wonderful ambassador for our program and UAA,” Osborne said.

 

Jackson becomes the third member of UAA’s 2011-12 recruiting class, joining fellow transfer Colton Lauwers (G, 6-3, 235, Anchorage/Dimond HS/Adams [Colo.] State) and true freshman Christian Leckband (F, 6-5, 185, Nome).

 

--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

Former Dimond star Colton Lauwers joins Seawolves

ANCHORAGE (Aug. 29) – One of Alaska’s top high school stars is coming home as  Alaska Anchorage men’s basketball head coach Rusty Osborne announced Monday that Colton Lauwers has transferred to play for the Seawolves.

The 6-3, 235-pound guard played his freshman season at Adams State in Alasmosa, Colo., in 2009-10, starting 15 of 26 contests and averaging 3.3 points per game. He redshirted the 2010-11 campaign, leaving him three years of eligibility with the Seawolves.

 

Lauwers was the 2008-09 Alaska Class 4A Player of the Year as a senior at Dimond High, where he captained the Lynx to a 26-3 record and the state title. He averaged 12.7 points and 7.7 rebounds in the state tournament that year, including a 21-point, 12-rebound performance in Dimond’s 55-52, overtime victory against Soldotna in the championship game.

 

“It is with great excitement that we add Colton to our program,” said Osborne, who led UAA to a 24-10 record and an NCAA Second Round appearance last year. “He is a young man who fits what we want – a good student, good person and talented basketball player. He is excited to be a Seawolf and we are thrilled he is back home in the Green & Gold.”

 

Lauwers was a two-time All-Cook Inlet Conference selection and four-year letterwinner at Dimond as the Lynx never finished lower than fourth at the state tournament in his career. He also lettered three times in baseball, helping the Lynx to the 2009 state baseball title as an all-state pitcher and shortstop.

“Colton will be a versatile performer who we feel can play multiple positions,” Osborne added. “After starting 15 games his freshman year, he has experience at the point guard position, but because of his size and strength we feel he can play any wing position. Plus, in our system, he could even see time as a power forward. He is very smart, passes extremely well, and has tremendous three-point range. He only needs to get back into competitive shape after rehabbing from knee surgery this past season.”

 

Lauwers becomes the second member of UAA’s 2011-12 recruiting class, joining Alaska 3A Player of the Year Christian Leckband, a 6-5, 185-pound forward from Nome. UAA’s 2011-12 roster now features five former Alaska 3A or 4A Players of the Year with Lauwers, Leckband, senior Lonnie Ridgeway (2007 3A, Heritage Christian), and sophomores Kyle Fossman (2010 3A, Haines) and Travis Thompson (2010 4A, Dimond).

--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