Seawolves picked 2nd in GNAC men's hoops poll

PORTLAND, Ore. (Oct. 15) – The Alaska Anchorage men’s basketball team has been picked to finish second in the 2013-14 Great Northwest Athletic Conference title chase, according to the league’s 13th annual coaches’ poll, released Tuesday.

The Seawolves – coming off an 18-9 season and a third-place GNAC finish at 11-7 – finished behind Seattle Pacific in voting by the league’s coaches, earning the only first-place vote that did not go to the Falcons.

UAA totaled 86 points in the poll, while two-time defending GNAC and NCAA Div. II champion Western Washington claimed third place with 80 tallies. Central Washington (70) and Alaska Fairbanks (62) rounded out the top five in the 10-team league.

The Seawolves return four starters from 2012-13 – senior guards Kyle Fossman and Colton Lauwers, junior wing Teancum Stafford, and sophomore forward Christian Leckband.

Fossman was a first-team all-league pick after averaging a team-high 14.8 points, along with 3.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game, while Stafford earned second-team honors with numbers of 14.2 ppg, 4.5 rpg and 2.2 apg. Also returning is 2011-12 second-team all-league selection Travis Thompson, a 6-1 guard who averaged 11.8 points as a sophomore before redshirting last year.

The Seawolves will make their debut with an alumni exhibition game on Oct. 25 at the Wells Fargo Sports Complex at 6 p.m.

2013-14 GNAC Coaches Poll  2012-13 Recs., Pl.  Pts
1. Seattle Pacific (9)    27-4 (16-2, 2nd)    99
2. Alaska Anchorage (1)   18-9 (11-7, 3rd)    86
3. Western Washington     31-3 (17-1, 1st)    80
4. Central Washington     15-13 (8-10, 6th)   70
5. Alaska Fairbanks       16-12 (10-8, 4th)   62
6. Western Oregon         10-16 (5-13, 9th)   44
7. Montana State Billings 16-14 (9-9, 5th)    41
8. Northwest Nazarene     13-13 (7-11, 7th)   30
9. Simon Fraser           6-20 (1-17, 10th)   20
10. Saint Martin’s         10-16 (6-12, 8th)   18
(Note: First-place votes in parenthesis.  Points awarded on 11-9-8-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis.)

--GoSeawolves.com--

 

Nate Sagan
Sports Information Director
University of Alaska Anchorage
3211 Providence Dr.
Anchorage, AK  9508
(907) 786-1295 / nate@uaa.alaska.edu
GoSeawolves.com