PORTLAND, Ore. – Alaska Anchorage senior Travis Thompson has been voted the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Preseason Player of the Year by the league’s head coaches, the league office announced Tuesday.
The 6-1, 195-pound guard was one of 15 players selected to the team, including junior teammate Brian McGill. Both Seawolves were among eight unanimous selections to the team.
Thompson averaged 21.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game in 2013-14, shooting 42 percent (109-259) from three-point range and 89 percent (141-158) at the free-throw line. The First Team All-GNAC and Second Team NABC All-West Region selection scored 30-plus points on six occasions and finished among the top-25 Div. II leaders in three-pointers per game (3.6, 6th) free-throw percentage (19th) and scoring (25th).
He is the only returning player in the GNAC who earned first team all-league honors last season. Thompson enters his senior season ranked 40th in GNAC history in scoring with 1,197 points. The former Dimond High School star is on pace to break UAA’s career record for three-pointers made this year and could finish as high as No. 2 on the Seawolves’ all-time scoring list.
“We are very happy that Travis received this honor,” said 11th-year UAA coach Rusty Osborne, whose team was picked second in last week’s preseason coaches’ poll. “He has been a tireless worker throughout his career and is very deserving, as were others in our league. His game continues to grow each year, and after another offseason of work, we expect him to have a tremendous senior year.
“I know that his (Travis’) main goal is for our team to win a league championship, and his extra work and preparation has been more about that than about individual accolades.”
Along with Thompson, McGill should give the Seawolves one of the most talented starting backcourts in all of NCAA Div. II. Last year the Clacakamas, Ore., native finished second in the GNAC in assists (5.9 apg) and 11th in scoring (15.6 ppg), earning second team all-league honors.
One of just two GNAC players to average at least 15 points and five assists in 2013-14, McGill also helped the Seawolves lead the nation in fewest turnovers per game (8.5) and best assist-turnover ratio (2.2-1).
The Seawolves play their second and final exhibition game Nov. 1 when they take on the Seawolf Alumni at the Alaska Airlines Center. The regular season begins Nov. 7-8 with a home series against future GNAC opponent Concordia (Ore.).
2014-15 GNAC MEN’S BASKETBALL
PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
Player of the Year: *+Travis Thompson, Alaska Anchorage (G, 6-1, Sr., Anchorage, AK)
*Sango Niang, Simon Fraser (G, 6-0, Sr., Paris, France)
*+Andy Avgi, Western Oregon (F, 6-6, Jr., Woodburn, OR)
*+Kevin Rima, Northwest Nazarene (F, 6-7, S., Fairbanks, AK)
+Riley Stockton, Seattle Pacific (G, 6-4, Sr., Spokane, WA)
*Cory Hutsen, Seattle Pacific (C, 6-8, Sr., Spokane, WA)
Anye Turner, Western Washington (F, 6-7, Sr., Olympia, WA)
*Brian McGill, Alaska Anchorage (G, 6-2, Jr., Clackamas, OR)
*Austin Hudson, MSU Billings (F, 6-7, Sr., Salt Lake City, UT)
*Joe Slocum, Alaska Fairbanks (G, 6-3, Sr., San Francisco, CA)
Jeffrey Parker, Western Washington (F, 6-6, So., Richmond, CA)
Devon Alexander, Western Oregon (G, 6-1, Jr., Fontana, CA)
Ryan Rogers, Saint Martin’s (F, 6-4, Sr., Auburn, WA)
Ricardo Maxwell, Western Washington (G, 5-10, Jr., Cincinnati, OH)
Joey Schreiber, Western Washington (F, 6-7, So., Renton, WA)
*Unanimous +Repeaters
--GoSeawolves.com--
Nate Sagan
Assistant Athletic Director for Media Relations
University of Alaska Anchorage
3211 Providence Dr.
Anchorage, AK 99508
(907) 786-1295 / nate@uaa.alaska.edu
GoSeawolves.com
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