THIS WEEK IN SEAWOLF MEN’S BASKETBALL
At CCA Division II Tip-Off Classic
Oct. 30-Nov. 1 — Anaheim, Calif. (Anaheim Convention Ctr) & Carson, Calif. (Torodome)
Friday, Oct. 30: Alaska Anchorage (0-0) vs Upper Iowa (0-0), 7:30 pm ADT at Anaheim
Saturday, Oct. 31: Alaska Anchorage vs Cal Baptist, 12:30 pm ADT at Anaheim
Sunday, Nov. 1: Alaska Anchorage vs Colorado-Colorado Springs, 3 pm AST at Carson
LIVE STATS: http://www.sidearmstats.com/dominguez/mbball/ (or find link at GoSeawolves.com)
INTERNET RADIO: Live audio for all three UAA games will be streamed via the Radio Sports America online station. Find the link at GoSeawolves.com.
BRIEF SEASON PREVIEW: The Seawolves will sport a new-look club in 2015-16, with seven transfers and two returning redshirts joining four veterans from last year’s club ... among the returners, Sr. G Brian McGill (13.8 ppg, 5.3 apg, .498 FG) is a two-time All-GNAC honoree (2nd team in 2013-14; hon. men. in 2014-15), while 5th-year Sr. F Christian Leckband (7.0 ppg, 3.6 rpg, .384 3FG) are the only players with more than a year of experience in Green & Gold ... among the newcomers, Idaho transfer Sekou ‘Suki’ Wiggs should make a major impact, along with former JC standouts Spencer Svejcar, Diante Mitchell, Corey Hammell and Tayler Thompson.
UAA PROBABLE STARTERS (2014-15 stats)
G—Diante Mitchell, 6-1, Jr. (15.2 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 2.5 apg, .508 FG at Western Nebraska CC)
G—Sekou ‘Suki’ Wiggs, 6-4, Jr. (11.5 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 2.7 apg, .455 FG, .741 FT at Idaho)
G—Spencer Svejcar, 6-4, Jr. (16.0 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 2.5 apg at Laramie County CC)
F—Travis Parrish, 6-3, Jr. (2.9 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 1.3 apg, .557 FG)
F—Corey Hammell, 6-6, Jr. (14.3 ppg, 10.2 rpg, .449 FG, .743 FT at Santa Rosa JC)
SOCIAL MEDIA
Twitter: @UAAMBB (for in-game updates) and @UAASeawolves
Facebook: Alaska Anchorage Seawolves
Instagram: UAA_Seawolves
YouTube & SnapChat: UAA Seawolves
Hashtags: #SeawolfHoops #UAASeawolves
ALL-TIME SERIES...
vs Upper Iowa & Cal Baptist: First meetings
vs Colo.-Colorado Springs: UAA leads 2-0 overall, 0-0 neutral
Last: UAA 95-62 (12/8/92 at UAA)
Notes: The Seawolves recorded 115-52 and 95-62 home wins on back-to-back nights in December 1992 in the teams’ only previous meetings.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS: Upper Iowa must replace its top two scorers from last year’s team that went 17-13 overall and 12-10 in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference ... the Peacocks, picked fifth in the NSIC South Division preseason poll, will feature 6-6 Jr. F Jordan Hay (10.1 ppg, 5.0 rpg, .544 FG) and 6-5 Jr. G Jimmy Roth (9.6 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.1 apg) as their top returners ... coming off a ‘Sweet 16’ appearance in its first year of NCAA Div. II postseason eligibility last year, Cal Baptist was a near-unanimous choice (13 of 14 votes) to repeat as the Pac West Conference champion in last week’s preseason coaches’ poll ... the Lancers, from Riverside, feature PWC Preseason Player of the Year Gelaun Wheelwright (17.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg, .414 3FG, .855 FT) and 6-7 Sr. F Taj Spencer (12.4 ppg, 7.2 rpg, .560 FG) as top returners from their 26-7 team ... Colorado-Colorado Springs is the defending Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference tournament champion, advancing to the NCAA 2nd Round last spring ... the Mountain Lions are picked fifth in this year’s RMAC preseason poll after going 27-5 overall (17-5, 3rd RMAC) in 2014-15 ... UCCS is led by 6-7 Sr. F. Alex Welsh (16.3 ppg, 7.4 rpg, .561 FG) and 6-10 Sr. F Dalton Patten (6.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg, .588 FG).
BRIEF 2014-15 RECAP: The Seawolves registered a 16-13 overall record and tied for third in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference with a 12-6 league mark in their first campaign in the Alaska Airlines Center in 2014-15 ... UAA posted thrilling home wins over Western Washington and Alaska Fairbanks, while earning yet another victory over a Div. I team in the GCI Great Alaska Shootout, defeating Rice, 65-54 ... Sr. G Travis Thompson picked up 3rd Team Academic All-America, 2nd Team All-West Region and his second straight 1st Team All-GNAC award, finishing as the No. 2 scorer and No. 1 three-point shooter in program history, while then-Jr. PG Brian McGill was an honorable mention All-GNAC selection.
TEAM NOTES: UAA is seeking the program’s 11th straight winning season and the 33rd in 39 years … last year’s Seawolves earned the the program’s fifth straight top-4 GNAC finish and plus-.500 league record ... UAA has qualified for the GNAC Tournament each year since the event was instituted in 2011 ... the 2014-15 Seawolves earned NCAA Div. II top-25 statistical rankings in four categories, finishing 7th in assists per game (18.1), 8th in free throw percentage (.770), 16th in assist/turnover ratio (1.42) and 21st in three-pointers made per game (9.6) ... in the GNAC stats, the Seawolves led the league assists per game, FT% and in A/T ratio, while finishing 2nd in 3FGs per game and rebound defense (30.8).
McGILL INELIGIBLE FOR FALL: It was announced Oct. 27 that Sr. G Brian McGill, the team’s leading returning scorer (13.8 ppg) and assist man (5.8 apg), will be ineligible for the fall semester ... a Preseason All-GNAC selection earlier this month, McGill was named honorable mention All-GNAC last season after posting top-15 GNAC ranks in six different categories ... the Oregon native was 3rd in assists (29th nationally), 12th in scoring, 9th in minutes per game (30.4), 9th in assist/turnover ratio (1.7), 11th in 3FG% (.419) and 11th in FT% (.794) … McGill scored double figures in 19 of his 28 outings last year, including eight times with 20-plus, and he dished 6-plus assists on 14 occasions ... he reached the 25-point mark for the seventh time in his career when he went for 29 in UAA’s win at Simon Fraser, including a 25-point explosion in the 1st half ... after just 58 games, McGill is already 6th on UAA’s career list with 326 assists, while his 5.62 assists per game rank 3rd; he also holds UAA career ranks in scoring average (16th, 14.7 ppg), 3FG% (6th, .441), FTs made (12th, 214), FT% (14th, .820) and FTs per game (10th, 3.7) ... the former Western Oregon transfer garnered All-GNAC Second Team honors in 2013-14.
RELIABLE RETURNERS: So. F Sjur Berg showed the rebounding prowess that earned him a reputation as one of Europe’s top junior players, ranking second on the team (15th GNAC) last year with 5.2 rpg ... the Norwegian’s .586 FG% was also second-best among Seawolves on the team and would have ranked 5th in the GNAC with enough attempts ... on UAA’s all-time freshman lists, Berg placed 3rd in rebounds per game, 4th in total rebounds (141) and 5th in FG% ... Sr. F Christian Leckband enters the season with the most experience of any Seawolf on the roster, posting career averages of 5.9 ppg and 3.2 rpg in 83 career appearances, including 28 starts ... the Nome product provided a big lift off the bench in league play last year, registering 7.5 ppg and 4.0 rpg in GNAC counters ... on Jan. 3, the Nome product tied his then-career-high with 16 points in the win over Western Washington, and he reached double figures for the fourth time last year with a career-high 19 points against Seattle Pacific on Feb. 14 ... Leckband ranked 19th in the GNAC with his .384 3FG% last year and is No. 22 on UAA’s career list at .385 ... Jr. F Travis Parrish was quietly one of UAA’s most efficient players in his first season after switching from football (Utah State) to the hardcourt ... Parrish was one of four Seawolves to shoot .550 or better in 2014-15, connecting at a .585 clip (24 of 41) after entering the starting lineup on Dec. 13 ... the Utah native had career-highs of 10 points (4-5 FG, 2-2 FT) at Western Washington and 4 assists at Simon Fraser, and he grabbed a career-high 9 rebounds at Central Washington ... Parrish also led the Seawolves with 44 total offensive rebounds.
REDSHIRTS RETURN: Two players who sat out the 2014-15 campaign as redshirts – So. F Jackson McTier and Fr. G Damien Fulp – will get their chances to impact the lineup this time around ... McTier saw limited action in 24 games as a true freshman in 2013-14, and he has added more muscle to his 6-7 frame ... meanwhile, Fulp has also added about 15 pounds since his prep playing days at Colony High in Palmer ... a former all-state performer for the Knights, Fulp brings the ability to play either guard position.
TRANSFERS GALORE: The Seawolves will rely heavily on their seven transfers -- all juniors -- in 2015-16 ... the lone Div. I transfer is former Idaho starting guard Sekou ‘Suki’ Wiggs, a double-digit career scorer in his two seasons in Moscow ... last year Wiggs was the Vandals’ third-leading scorer with 11.5 ppg, while ranking second on the team in total assists (81) and first in free throws made (106) ... a Preseason All-GNAC selection this year, Wiggs was the Western Athletic Conference’s Sixth Man of the Year as a freshman in 2013-14 ... meanwhile, five former junior college standouts will join the fray, with combo guard Diante Mitchell (Western Nebraska CC) and swingmen Spencer Svejcar (Laramie County [Wyo.] CC) and Drew Peterson (San Diego Miramar Coll.) joining Wiggs in the backcourt, and California forwards Corey Hammell (Santa Rosa JC) and Tayler Thompson (Cuesta Coll.) boosting the frontcourt ... Svejcar was an NJCAA All-Region IX First Team selection as a sophomore after averaging 16.0 ppg, 3.9 rpg and 2.5 apg, while shooting .405 3FG ... in his two years at WNCC, Mitchell averaged nearly 15 points and 3 assists per game, and he connected at impressive rates of .508 FG, .408 3FG and .860 FT in 2014-15 ... with a 3.86 GPA in junior college, Mitchell was also an NJCAA Academic All-American ... Peterson, the final addition to UAA’s recruting class, was a 2-time All-PCAC honoree at Miramar, where he averaged 12.8 ppg, 4.0 rpg and shot .853 FT last season ... a versatile forward, Hammell averaged a double-double (14.3 ppg/10.2 rpg) as a sophomore, scoring double figures in 20 of 22 games ... Thompson was an All-Western States Conference performer at Cuesta last year, averaging 11.6 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 1.6 bpg and shooting .581 FG ... the only other transfer from a 4-year school is Anchorage native Augustus Simmers (Anchorage Christian Sch.), who joins UAA after splitting his first two campaigns between Palm Beach (Fla.) State College and Malone University, a fellow D-II program in Ohio ... Simmers put up 3.4 ppg, 2.9 rpg and shot .440 FG in 13.9 minutes per game at Malone a year ago.
REDSHIRTS ANNOUNCED: Head coach Rusty Osborne has announced that Fr. F/C Curtis Ryan and So. F Brian Pearson will both redshirt the 2015-16 campaign.
THE OSBORNE FILE: Beginning his 12th year as head coach, Rusty Osborne (208-119) has now led the Seawolves to 10 straight winning seasons, along with five NCAA Tournaments and a trip to the 2008 NCAA D-II Semifinals in his tenure at the helm … with UAA’s victory over Alaska Fairbanks on Jan. 10, 2015, he became the first UAA basketball coach to reach 200 career victories … 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 in 2015-16 by Cameron Turner (5th season) and Kasey Riley (1st season).
SEAWOLVES TABBED 2ND: The Seawolves were picked to finish fourth in the 2015-16 Great Northwest Athletic Conference preseason coaches’ poll, released Oct. 15.
2015-16 Great Northwest Athletic Conference
Preseason Men’s Basketball Coaches’ Poll
Rk Team (1st-pl. votes) ‘14-15 Records Pts
1. Western Washington (5) 20-11/11-7 (t-5th) 114
2. Western Oregon (4) 23-7/15-3 (1st) 106
3. Seattle Pacific (2) 24-8/13-5 (2nd) 100
4. Alaska Anchorage 16-13/12-6 (t-3rd) 92
5. Central Washington 17-9/12-6 (t-3rd) 80
6. Alaska Fairbanks 7-19/4-14 (8th) 63
7. Saint Martin’s 6-22/3-15 (t-9th) 41
Montana State Billings 5-23/3-15 (t-9th) 41
9. Northwest Nazarene 14-16/11-7 (t-5th) 37
10. Concordia, Ore. 25-7 1st Yr in GNAC 32
11. Simon Fraser 11-15/6-12 (7th) 20
(Votes awarded on 11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis)
2014-15 SEAWOLF INDIVIDUAL HONORS
(returning players only)
Brian McGill
Preseason All-GNAC Team
Ron Logsdon Classic All-Tournament Team, 11/15
GNAC Player of the Week, 12/29-1/4
Honorable Mention All-GNAC, 3/2
Bob Zundel Rebounders Award, 4/24
Jackson McTier
Academic Achievement Award, 4/24
--GOSEAWOLVES--
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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