THIS WEEK IN SEAWOLF MEN’S BASKETBALL
UAA hosts 38th annual
GCI Great Alaska Shootout
Nov. 25-28 — Alaska Airlines Center (5,000) — Anchorage, AK
All times AST (4 hours behind EST)
Wednesday, Nov. 25 – First Round
7:30 pm (Gm. 1) – San Jose State (1-2) vs Toledo (2-1) (CBS Sports Network)
10 pm (Gm. 2) – San Diego (0-3) vs Loyola Chicago (3-1) (CBS Sports Network)
Thursday, Nov. 26 – First Round
5:30 pm (Gm. 3) – Middle Tennessee (1-1) vs Alaska Anchorage (6-3) (CBS Sports Network/GCI)
8 pm (Gm. 4) – Drexel (0-3) vs UNC Asheville (1-3) (CBS Sports Network)
Friday, Nov. 27 – Consolation Semifinals & Semifinals
Noon (Gm. 5) – SJSU/Toledo loser vs USD/Loyola loser (GCI)
2 pm (Gm. 6) – MT/UAA loser vs Drexel/Asheville loser (GCI)
5:30 pm (Gm. 7) – SJSU/Toledo winner vs USD/Loyola winner (CBS Sports Network*)
8 pm (Gm. 8) – MT/UAA winner vs Drexel/Asheville winner (CBS Sports Network*)
Saturday, Nov. 28
Noon (Gm. 9) – Game 5 loser vs Game 6 loser (7th/8th place – GCI)
2 pm (Gm. 10) – Game 5 winner vs Game 6 winner (4th/6th place – GCI)
5:30 pm (Gm. 11) – Game 7 loser vs Game 8 loser (3rd/5th place – GCI)
8:30 pm (Gm. 12) – Game 7 winner vs Game 8 winner (Champ. – CBS Sports Network)
*delayed broadcast (check local listings)
TV: In addition to the seven games televised nationally on CBS Sports Network, fans throughout Alaska can watch six games – Thursday’s UAA/Middle Tennesee first-round game; Friday’s consolation semifinals; and Saturday’s first three contests – live throughout Alaska on GCI cable Ch. 1 (SD) and Ch. 999 (HD).
RADIO: None
LIVE STATS: GoSeawolves.com/shootout
TICKETS: For complete information and/or to purchase tickets, visit GoSeawolves.com, AlaskaAirlinesCenter.com or call 907-786-1562.
UAA PROBABLE STARTERS (2015-16 stats)
G—Diante Mitchell, 6-1, Jr. (10.6 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 3.4 apg, .500 3FG, .900 FT)
G—Sekou ‘Suki’ Wiggs, 6-4, Jr. (23.7 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 4.2 apg, .465 FG, .815 FT)
G—Spencer Svejcar, 6-4, Jr. (12.4 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 2.3 apg, .893 FT)
F—Corey Hammell, 6-6, Jr. (13.3 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 1.4 apg, .440 FG, .761 FT)
F—Tayler Thompson, 6-8, Jr. (4.4 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 0.7 bpg, .600 FG, 4-4 FT)
SOCIAL MEDIA
Twitter: @GCIAK @GreatAKShootout @UAAMBB @UAASeawolves
Facebook: GCI Great Alaska Shootout
Instagram: UAA_Seawolves
Hashtags: #GreatAKShootout #SeawolfHoops #UAASeawolves
ALL-TIME SERIES...
vs Middle Tennessee: First meeting
vs Drexel: UAA leads 1-0
Last: UAA 66-63 (Dec. 28, 1981 @Nashville, TN)
vs San Diego: USD leads 1-0
Last: USD 78-64 (Dec. 21, 1985 @Austin, TX)
vs San Jose State: SJSU leads 1-0
Last: SJSU 70-66 (Dec. 30, 1996 @Santa Clara, CA)
vs UNC Asheville/Loyola/Toledo: Never met
SCOUTING THE BLUE RAIDERS: Coming off a 19-17 campaign, Middle Tennessee started its season by splitting a pair of road games at regional rivals Murray State (L, 76-65) and Tennessee State (W, 69-66) ... making their first trip to the Shootout, the men from Murfreesboro, Tenn., were picked to finish 3rd of 14 teams in the Conference-USA preseason coaches’ poll ... through the first two games, MT is led by 6-2 So. G Giddy Potts (18.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg, .667 FG, .636 3FG) and 6-8 Sr. F Darnell Harris (12.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 2.0 apg, .667 FT), while Preseason All-C-USA Jr. F Reggie Upshaw is putting up 10.5 ppg, 9.5 rpg and 2.0 apg.
‘DISCRETIONARY’ GAMES: For the host Seawolves – the tournament’s only NCAA Div. II team – their Thursday and Friday contests will be counted as ‘discretionary exemptions,’ meaning the result and statistics will count regularly for their opponent but as an exhibition for UAA ... Saturday’s UAA game will be counted regularly for both teams.
UAA VS. D-I: Division II UAA owns a 55-138 all-time record against Division I opponents (not counting exhibitions) … the Seawolves’ biggest upset came during the 1988-89 campaign when they beat then-No. 2 and undefeated Michigan, 70-66, at the Utah Seiko Classic; the Wolverines went on to win the NCAA title that year ... including last year’s discretionary exhibition against Rice, UAA has beaten at least one Division I school in 28 of the last 31 seasons.
SEAWOLVES IN THE SHOOTOUT: In its 38th edition, the GCI Great Alaska Shootout returns to the University of Alaska Anchorage campus this year for its second edition in the new Alaska Airlines Center ... the Seawolves – the only Division II team and the only school to appear in every Shootout – sport a 36-75 all-time mark in the tournament, including 14-25 since 2002 … the Seawolves have won at least one game in 30 of 37 Shootouts.
2014 SHOOTOUT RECAP: UAA put together a good showing against its annual gauntlet of Div. I opponents in the 2014 GCI Great Alaska Shootout, taking Pacific and Missouri State down to the final minutes before knocking off Conference-USA foe Rice in the 7th-place game Saturday ... in the first game, senior Travis Thompson scored 20 points (4-5 3FG), but the Seawolves could not overcome an early deficit against the Tigers in a game broadcast nationlly on CBS Sports Network ... Brian McGill had 12 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists as UAA shot 10 of 20 from long range in the 71-62 loss ... on Friday, Thompson scored 14 points, including a go-ahead trey late in the second half, before the Missouri Valley Conference club pulled away in the final minutes, 55-51 ... in the finale vs. Rice, Thompson exploded for 28 points (9-14 FG, 6-9 3FG, 4-4 FT) and McGill nearly recorded a triple-double with 9 points (9-12 FT), 8 rebounds and 10 assists, helping UAA erase an early 12-0 deficit and record a double-digit victory, 65-54.
JAMBOREE RECAP: The Seawolves split a pair of games in the 18th annual Seawolf Jamboree, Nov. 20-21, cruising to a 101-54 victory over Life Pacific on Friday before suffering a 81-78 loss to fellow NCAA Div. II West Region foe Cal State Dominguez Hills on Saturday ... in the first game, Sr. F Christian Leckband scored a career-high 27 points (11-17 FG, 4-7 3FG) and Fr. G Damien Fulp had season-highs of 15 points (3-3 FG, 1-1 3FG, 8-8 FT), 4 rebounds and 5 assists as UAA shot .544 from the field and outrebounded the Warriors 41-24 ... against the Toros the next day, Jr. G had 25 points, 9 assists and 6 rebounds but the Seawolves could not complete a rally from a 17-point deficit after taking the lead in the late-going ... Jr. F Corey Hammell had his fifth double-double with 17 points (6-10 FG, 1-1 3FG, 4-4 FT) and 10 rebounds, and Jr. G Spencer Svejcar scored a career-high 20 points (8-12 FG, 4-7 3FG), along with 5 rebounds and 4 assists, however the visitors from L.A. hit a school-record 19 three-pointers (in 31 attempts) to hold on.
HAWAIIANS HANDLED: The Seawolves ran their winning streak to four games with a pair of narrow victories against NCAA Div. II West Region rivals Chaminade (92-90) and Hawaii Pacific (69-65) on Nov. 13-14 in Fairbanks at the GCI GNAC/Pac West Challenge ... in the first game, Jr. F Corey Hammell had 24 points (6-10 FG, 12-15 FT) and 15 rebounds and Jr. G Suki Wiggs (11-12 FT) tallied 24 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists as UAA hung on despite seeing an 18-point second-half lead cut down to one in the final minutes ... Jr. G Diante Mitchell had 13 points (8-8 FT), 5 assists and 4 rebounds, and Jr. G Spencer Svejcar tallied 18 points (8-9 FT) and 4 rebounds to help UAA shoot 39 of 44 from the foul stripe ... on Saturday, Wiggs scored seven of his 26 points (8-18 FG, 9-10 FT) in the final 5 minutes and added 4 assists to help UAA rally from a 6-point deficit with 4:45 remaining against the Sharks ... Hammell posted another double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds, along with 3 steals, and Sr. F Christian Leckband added 14 points and 9 rebounds off the bench, connecting on the clinching FTs with 3.5 seconds left.
DISNEY RECAP: The Seawolves were one of six teams nationally to get an early jump on the 2015-16 campaign with three games at the CCA Tip-Off Classic in Southern California, Oct. 30-Nov. 1 … in the season-opener, Jr. G Suki Wiggs scored 20 points to spark a rally from down 11 points with under 8 minutes to play against Upper Iowa, resulting in a 74-71 UAA victory in Anaheim … Jr. F Corey Hammell posted 18 points (6-12 FG) and 10 rebounds in his Seawolf debut, Jr. G Spencer Svejcar had 14 points (12-12 FT), and Jr. G Diante Mitchell had 12 points as UAA got 70 of its 74 points from newcomers … So. F Sjur Berg snagged a game-high 11 rebounds against the Peacocks … on Saturday in Anaheim, Wiggs exploded for a tournament-record 34 points (10-22 FG, 12-14 FT), but the Seawolves could not mount a comeback in a 79-68 loss to No. 11 Cal Baptist … Wiggs added 7 rebounds and 4 steals, while Hammell was the only other Seawolf in double figures with 12 points, along with 11 rebounds … on the final day – played in Carson, Calif. – UAA led 17-12 early before succumbing to a game-deciding 20-0 run by Colorado-Colorado Springs in a 79-70 setback … Wiggs posted 21 points, 13 rebounds and 7 assists, and Sr. F Christian Leckband had his best game of the weekend with 15 points (5-8 FG, 3-5 3FG), 6 rebounds and no turnovers … Svejcar scored all 13 of his points in the second half, but no other Seawolf contributed more than six against the defending Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference tourney champs.
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.
SUKI SMOOTH: Div. I transfer Sekou ‘Suki’ Wiggs has lived up to his billing as a Preseason All-GNAC selection so far, setting a Seawolf program record by scoring at least 20 points in his first nine games in Green & Gold ... in the early GNAC stats, he paces the 11-team league with 23.7 ppg, along with ranks of 5th in rebounding (7.3 rpg) and 7th in assists (4.2 apg) ... the former Seattle O’Dea High star set the Div. II Tip-Off Classic single-game scoring record with 34 points against Cal Baptist on Oct. 31, and he tallied a combined 50 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists in UAA’s 2- and 4-point wins over Chaminade and Hawaii Pacific ... a double-digit career scorer in two seasons at Idaho, Wiggs was the Western Athletic Conference’s Sixth Man of the Year as a freshman in 2013-14.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE TROUBLE: Jr. F Corey Hammell has shown why he averaged a double-double as a sophomore last season at Santa Rosa Junior College, tallying five such performances – all against Div. II compeition – in his first eight games as a Seawolf ... Hammell scored a season-high 24 points and matched UAA’s best rebounding total of 2014-15 with 15 boards in the 69-65 win over Hawaii Pacific, converting a key three-point play with 15 seconds left ... in the early GNAC stats, he is the league’s 2nd-leading rebounder (9.2 rpg) and top offensive rebounder (5.2 orpg).
RELIABLE RETURNERS: Sr. F Christian Leckband the most experienced Seawolf on the roster, posting career averages of 5.9 ppg and 3.2 rpg in 83 career appearances, including 28 starts, in his first three seasons ... after a slow start in the first two games this year, Leckband has averaged 14.0 ppg while shooting 13 of 29 from long range over the last five contests ... the Nome native equaled the second-most rebounds of his career with 9 in the win over HPU, and he has posted a pair of career-highs last week with 27 points against Life Pacific and 3 blocks against Cal St. Dominguez Hills ... Jr. F Travis Parrish has quietly been one of UAA’s most efficient players since transfering last season from Utah State, where he was a 2-year squad member on the Aggies’ football team ... last year, Parrish was one of four Seawolves to shoot .550 or better, connecting at a .585 clip (24 of 41) after entering the starting lineup on Dec. 13 ... the Utah native had his best week of this season in UAA’s wins over Chaminade and Hawaii Pacific, tallying 5 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists in 29 minutes off the bench.
TRANSFERS MAKING IMPACT: Five former junior college standouts are making a major impact on UAA’s new-look squad, with Corey Hammell (Santa Rosa JC) joined by combo guard Diante Mitchell (Western Nebraska CC), wings Spencer Svejcar (Laramie County [Wyo.] CC) and Drew Peterson (San Diego Miramar Coll.), and forward 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 ... the Colorado native has tallied double figures in seven of nine games so far as a Seawolf, including 18 points (8-9 FT) in the win over Chaminade and 20 points on (8-12 FG) in the narrow loss to CSUDH ... Svejcar also has a solid 21/6 assist/turnover ratio in 202 minutes ... in his two years at WNCC, Mitchell averaged nearly 15 points and 3 assists per game, connecting at impressive rates of .508 FG, .408 3FG and .860 FT in 2014-15 ... the former NJCAA Academic All-American has been UAA’s primary ball-handler thus far, sporting a 27/18 assist/turnover ratio, while shooting .900 (18-20) from the FT line and .500 (15-30) from long range ... 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 ... he premiered against Upper Iowa with 7 rebounds and had 6 points against UC Colorado Springs ... Thompson has been the Seawolves’ most accurate shooter (18-30 FG, 4-4 FT) thus far, and he has five blocked shots in the last three games, including two apiece against HPU and CSUDH ... 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.
REDSHIRTS RETURN: Two players who sat out the 2014-15 campaign as redshirts – So. F Jackson McTier and Fr. G Damien Fulp – are getting 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.
KEY PLAYERS SIDELINED: UAA suffered a blow Nov. 6 when So. F Sjur Berg suffered a broken elbow in the Seawolves’ home opener ... following surgery, Berg is expected to miss at least two months and possibly the rest of the season ... the Norwegian ranked second on the team (15th GNAC) last year with 5.2 rpg and was averaging 7.0 rpg through the first three games this year ... the Seawolves will also be missing Sr. G Brian McGill for the Shootout after it was announced Oct. 27 that 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, 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) ... the former Western Oregon transfer garnered All-GNAC Second Team honors in 2013-14.
THE OSBORNE FILE: Now in his 12th year as head coach, Rusty Osborne (214-122) has 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).
REDSHIRTS ANNOUNCED: Head coach Rusty Osborne has announced that Fr. F/C Curtis Ryan and Jr. G/F Augustus Simmers will redshirt the 2015-16 campaign.
SEAWOLVES TABBED 4TH: 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)
--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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