THIS WEEK IN SEAWOLF BASKETBALL...
At Ron Logsdon Classic – Rohnert Park, CA – The Wolves’ Den
Friday, Nov. 14 – 6:30 pm AST
Alaska Anchorage (0-2) at Sonoma State (0-0)
&
Saturday, Nov. 15 – 4:30 pm AST
Alaska Anchorage vs #19 Chico State (0-0 [1 gm. pending])
ON TV: None.
ON RADIO: FM-93.7 KAFC
ONLINE: Find links to Live Stats and free Live Video for both games by surfing to the Men’s Basketball schedule page at GoSeawolves.com. or to the tournament’s homepage at http://www.sonomaseawolves.com/sports/2014/11/4/Logsdon_2014.aspx
SOCIAL MEDIA: Get periodic game updates by following the @UAAMBB Twitter feed or like UAA’s main Facebook page (Alaska Anchorage Seawolves).
WHAT LIES AHEAD: UAA will get under way against fellow NCAA Div. II competition this week when it travels to the North Bay for key West Region games against host Sonoma State and Chico State at the Ron Logsdon Classic in Rohnert Park ... Sonoma State is coming off a 7-19 record (6-16 California Collegiate Athletic Assoc.) in 2013-14 and loses its top two scorers from that club ... 6-foot Jr. G James Davis is the leading returning scorer for the Seawolves with 8.8 ppg a year ago ... Chico State is coming off its best-ever season with a 25-8 record and the NCAA West Region title to its credit ... the Wildcats (also from the CCAA) lose their two leading scorers as well and will turn to 6-7 Sr. F Jordan Semple (13.1 ppg, 8.1 rpg, .532 FG) as their most experienced returner.
THE SERIES vs. SONOMA ST.: Tied 1-1 (SSU leads 1-0 at home)
Last: SSU 71-70 (12/23/83 at SSU) / Notes: UAA won the first meeting, 72-57, on Dec. 15, 1980 in Anchorage ... this will mark the first-ever meeting between the only two teams in NCAA Div. II with the Seawolves moniker (SSU was known as the Cossacks until 2002).
THE SERIES vs. CHICO STATE: UAA leads 6-0 (2-0 neutral)
Last: UAA 72-70 (3/12/93 at Bakersfield) / Notes: The last two meetings both came in NCAA Tournament play, with UAA also winning 74-69 in 1991 in Bakersfield ... all four previous meetings were in Anchorage ... UAA won first meeting, 90-79, Jan. 26, 1978.
UAA PROBABLE STARTERS (2014-15 stats)
G—Brian McGill, 6-2, Jr. (15.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 5.5 apg, .611 FG, .700 FT)
G—Travis Thompson, 6-1, Sr. (13.0 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 3.5 apg, .455 3FG, .600 FT)
F—Derrick Fain, 6-4, Sr. (14.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 2.5 spg, .353 3FG)
F—Sjur Berg, 6-7, Fr. (11.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 8-10 FG, 6-7 FT)
C—Kalidou Diouf, 6-9, Fr. (6.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.0 bpg, 5-10 FG)
CAVALIERS STEAL OPENERS: The Seawolves lost a pair of close encounters with future Great Northwest Athletic Conference member Concordia (Ore.) in the first-ever regular-season basketball games at the new Alaska Airlines Center, Nov. 7-8 ... in the first game, Concordia stormed back from a 35-19 first-half deficit and caught the Seawolves in the final minutes, 79-74, despite 18 points (6-10 FG, 3-5 3FG) from Sr. G Travis Thompson ... Fr. F Sjur Berg debuted with 13 points (5-6 FG, 3-4 FT) and 6 rebounds, while Sr. G Derrick Fain had 10 points, 8 rebounds and 4 steals ... in the rematch, the Cavaliers made another late comeback and held on, 75-73, when Thompson’s three-pointer rimmed off at the buzzer ... Jr. PG Brian McGill scored a game-high 21 points (7-9 FG, 1-1 3FG, 6-6 FT), along with 6 assists and a career-high-tying 7 rebounds in the loss ... Fain was the only other Seawolf in double figures, scoring 18 points (4-10 3FG), while Berg contributed 9 points and 7 rebounds.
BRIEF SEASON PREVIEW: One year after using an undersized lineup to forge a 17-13 record and break copious three-point records, UAA returns to a more traditional look as it aims for a playoff return in 2014-15 ... leading the charge will be the experienced and heralded backcourt of Sr. G Travis Thompson – a Div. II Bulletin ‘Super 16’ Preseason All-American – and Jr. PG Brian McGill, who captured Second Team All-GNAC honors in his debut season at UAA ... Sr. G Boomer Blossom (2.4 ppg, 27-to-1 asst.-turnover ratio) is the only other returning veteran in the backcourt, but Osborne’s staff added plenty more firepower with transfers Derrick Fain, Kevin Bowman and Dom Hunter ... Fain, the leading scorer for NAIA The Master’s College last season, comes to UAA for his final collegiate campaign with the reputation as a dangerous shooter and penetrator, while So. G/F Travis Parrish will provide versatility on the wing ... Parrish is returning to the court for the first time since high school, having spent the last two years as a member of Utah State’s successful Div. I football program ... the only players with experience in the frontcourt are returning Sr. F Brad Mears (4.4 ppg) and Jr. F Christian Leckband (4.5 ppg), but they will be complemented by the addition of four players who stand 6-7 or taller — Kalidou Diouf, Nicho Burgard, Sjur Berg and Brian Pearson.
TEAM NOTES: UAA is aiming for the program’s 10th straight winning season and the program’s 32nd in 38 years … the Seawolves have also earned a plus-.500 league record for 26 of 32 years of conference membership … UAA broke 25 school records and 16 GNAC records last season, boosted by epic three-point barrages against Western Oregon and Northland International ... UAA led NCAA Div. II with just 8.5 turnovers per game and a 2.1-1 assist-turnover ratio in 2013-14, and were also No. 2 nationally in FT% (.796) and 3FGs per game (13.0), No. 4 in 3FG% (.413) , No. 5 in assists per game (17.9), No. 19 in scoring (85.7 ppg) and No. 26 in turnover margin (26th, +3.4) … in the GNAC stats, the Seawolves led in 3FGs per game, assists and asst-TO ratio, and ranked 2nd in FT%, scoring offense, 3FG% and turnover margin.
TERRIFIC THOMPSON: Sr. G Travis Thompson was a unanimous selection for the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Preseason Player of the Year in voting by the league’s head coaches last month ... a First Team All-GNAC pick last year and a Second Teamer in 2011-12, he has also been tabbed a Div. II Bulletin ‘Super 16’ Preseason All-American this fall ... the former Dimond High star led UAA with 21.3 points per game, .892 free-throw shooting and 1.2 steals per game in 2013-14, finishing among the GNAC leaders in scoring (2nd), FT% (2nd), 3FGs made per game (2nd, 3.6), 3FG% (7th, .421), assist-turnover ratio (8th, 2.1), assists per game (11th, 3.2) and steals (13th); in the in NCAA Div. II national stats he was 6th in 3FGs/gm, 19th in FT%, 25th in scoring and 36th in 3FG% … with 109 3FGs, he broke the old UAA and GNAC season marks (along with teammate Kyle Fossman, who had 113) … Thompson’s scoring average ranked 6th on UAA’s single-season list, along with ranks of 8th in points (640), 2nd in 3FGs made and 3FGs made/gm, 3rd in FT%, 7th in FTs made (141) and 12th in minutes per game (34.7) … he scored double figures in 28 of 30 games, including six 30-plus outings and 17 times with at least 20 points … two games into his senior season, Thompson holds UAA career ranks of 10th in scoring (1,223 pts), 11th in assists (252), 4th in 3FGs made (221), 8th in FTs made (238) and 4th in FT% (.865).
McGILL THE THRILL: Jr. PG Brian McGill made a huge impact in his first year of eligibility last season after transferring from Western Oregon, garnering All-GNAC Second Team honors ... this season the Clackamas, Ore., native is a Preseason All-GNAC selection … McGill ranked No. 2 in the league last year with 5.9 apg, along with other GNAC ranks of 11th in scoring (15.6 ppg), 5th in asst-TO ratio (2.4), and 7th in minutes (33.7 mpg) and FT% (.835) … on UAA’s single-season lists, he finished 7th in both assists (177) and assists per game, 10th in FTs made (137) and 18th in FT% … McGill was named the GNAC Player of the Week following his 29-point, 10-assist performance in UAA’s league-opening victory over UAF, becoming just the fifth player in 14 years to tally at least 25 points and 10 assists in a GNAC game … nationally, McGill ranked 20th in assists and 49th in A/T ratio.
MORE PLAYER NOTES: Sr. G Derrick Fain got off to a strong start with 28 points, 12 rebounds and 5 stelas in his first two games as a Seawolf last week ... he averaged a team-high 24.5 ppg in UAA’s two exhibition games, shooting 61 percent from the field and dishing nine assists with just one turnover ... Fain is completing his collegiate career at UAA after transferring from NAIA program The Master’s in Southern California, where he played the last two seasons ... Fr. F Sjur Berg was one of four freshmen to log minutes in UAA’s first two games, shooting an impressive 8-of-10 from the field and 6-of-7 at the charity stripe ... the Norwegian brings extensive international experience with his national age-group squads and played his senior year at Southern California powerhouse Santa Margarita HS ... Jr. F Christian Leckband was the Seawolves’ 6th-leading scorer at 4.5 ppg, seeing action in all 30 games in 2013-14 … Leckband enters his third season at No. 21 on UAA’s career 3FG% list at .385 … Sr. G Boomer Blossom saw an increased role as last season progressed, having his playing time nearly double from 8.9 to 14.9 minutes per game over the last eight regular-season contests … the Soldotna High product was a big reason why UAA led the nation in assist-turnover ratio, sporting an incredible 27-to-1 ratio (in 253 total minutes; his only turnover came Dec. 7 against UAF) … Blossom was voted the team’s Best Defensive Player by his peers … Sr. F Brad Mears led UAA with a .487 FG% in 2013-14, logging 17 starts and playing in all 30 contests … the Snow (Utah) College transfer scored double figures four times and grabbed 5-plus rebounds on nine occasions.
THE OSBORNE FILE: Eleventh-year head coach Rusty Osborne (192-108) has led the Seawolves to nine straight winning seasons, five NCAA Tournaments and a trip to the 2008 NCAA D-II Semifinals in his tenure at the helm … with UAA’s victory over Saint Martin’s on Jan. 25, 2014, he also became the winningest coach in program history, surpassing former mentor Charlie Bruns … Osborne captured his first career GNAC and NABC West District coach-of-the-year awards in 2008 after becoming the second coach to lead UAA to three consecutive NCAA berths (2006-08), and in 2011-12 his Seawolves posted a 24-10 record to equal the 2nd-most victories in program history; Osborne’s 2007-08 club holds that record with a 29-6 mark … before taking over the head job in 2004-05, the Texas native previously served 13 seasons (1991-04) as a UAA assistant, including 11 years as the top assistant … the Seawolves have won over 60 percent of their games with Osborne on the staff, claiming four conference titles and eight trips to the NCAA Division II Tournament. Osborne is assisted by Cameron Turner (4th season) and graduate assistant Tim Mollerstrom (3rd season).
SEAWOLVES TABBED 2ND: The Seawolves were picked to finish second in the 2014 Great Northwest Athletic Conference preseason coaches’ poll, released Oct. 14. Here is a look at the poll:
2014-15 Great Northwest Athletic Conference
Preseason Men’s Basketball Coaches’ Poll
Rk Team (1st-place votes) 2013-14 Records Pts
1. Western Washington (7) 20-8 (13-5, 2nd) 78
2. Alaska Anchorage (1) 17-13 (10-8, 4th-T) 69
3. Seattle Pacific (2) 26-6 (15-3, 1st) 68
4. Western Oregon 18-12 (10-8, 4th-T) 60
5. Montana State Billings 12-15 (8-10, 6th-T) 41
6. Central Washington 12-14 (8-10, 6th-T) 39
7. Alaska Fairbanks 18-10 (12-6, 3rd) 38
8. Northwest Nazarene 7-19 (5-13, 9th) 21
9. Simon Fraser 10-16 (3-15, 10th) 18
Saint Martin’s 9-17 (6-12, 8th) 18
(Note: Each coach ranked other nine teams. First-place votes in parentheses. Points awarded on 9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis.).
2014-15 SEAWOLF INDIVIDUAL HONORS
Brian McGill
Preseason All-GNAC Team
Travis Thompson
Div. II Bulletin ‘Super 16’ All-American
Preseason GNAC Player of the Year
Preseason All-GNAC Team
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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