ANCHORAGE - The University of Alaska Anchorage announced Friday that it has completed its fields for the 2009 Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout, scheduled for Nov. 24-28 at Anchorage's Sullivan Arena.
On the women's side, host and three-time defending champion Alaska Anchorage will be joined in the 4-team field by Cincinnati, Coastal Carolina and Western Carolina. It will be the first Shootout trip for each visiting program.
Meanwhile, the men's field for the 32nd annual tournament will be Alaska Anchorage, Houston, Nicholls State, Oklahoma, San Diego and Washington State. With six teams instead of the traditional eight, the men's Shootout will undergo a format change for the first time ever, instituting Olympic-style pool play for 2009.
"We are thrilled with this year's lineup," said UAA athletic director Dr. Steve Cobb. "In a perfect world, we would still have eight men's teams, but with the realities of today's college basketball climate, scheduling has become as difficult as recruiting. That said, we should have some of the best basketball in the country being played right here in Anchorage, as usual, on Thanksgiving week."
Here is a brief look at the 2009 Shootout fields:
WOMEN
Three-time defending champion Alaska Anchorage, the only Division II team in the field, is 6-0 in its last three Shootouts and 84-15 over the past two seasons. Coach Tim Moser's squad went 31-4 in 2008-09 and qualified for the NCAA Division II Semifinals for the second straight year. The Seawolves return seven letterwinners, including the senior backcourt duo of Tamar Gruwell and Kiki Taylor, as they aim for more Division I upsets.
Cincinnati went 14-17 last season playing in the rugged Big East Conference. The Bearcats are sure to be a new-look team in 2009-10, however, as former Connecticut assistant Jamelle Elliott takes over the head-coaching reigns.
Coastal Carolina, of the Big South Conference, should be the most veteran squad in this year's Shootout, having lost no seniors from its 16-14 team of a year ago. The Conway, S.C., program is led by Alan LeForce, who brings over 50 years of college coaching experience to the Chanticleers bench.
Western Carolina, of the Southern Conference, is coming off an NCAA Tournament appearance and its third straight winning season with a 21-12 mark in 2008-09. The Lady Catamounts, from Cullowhee, N.C., are piloted by new head coach Karen Middleton, who inherits nine returning letterwinners.
MEN
Led by sixth-year head coach Rusty Osborne, host Alaska Anchorage is shooting for its 30th all-time Shootout victory in 2009. The Seawolves will feature versatile guards Kevin White and Brandon Walker among their five returnees, while adding another group of talented recruits.
A first-time Shootout visitor, Houston went 21-12 overall and finished fourth in Conference USA in 2008-09 to earn its second straight 20-win season. The Cougars also captured their fourth postseason bid in five years under veteran coach Tom Penders, who owns over 600 career victories.
Nicholls State is coming off a 20-11 campaign in which it tied for second place in the Southland Conference. The Colonels, of Thibodaux, La., are led by head coach J.P. Piper, and will field a squad that loses only two seniors from a year ago. NSU finished eighth at the Shootout in 1980.
Oklahoma - which placed third in the Shootout in 1983 and 2004 - posted a 30-6 record, reached as high as No. 2 in the country, and came within a win of the Final 4 last season. With the departure of consensus national player-of-the-year Blake Griffin and two other starters, coach Jeff Capel will count on one of the nation's most exciting players, 2008-09 Big 12 Newcomer-of-the-Year Willie Warren, a lightning-quick point guard.
Ravaged by injuries last season, San Diego finished 16-16 under second-year head coach Bill Grier. The Toreros got good news this summer, however, when they learned that leading scorer Brandon Johnson will receive a fifth year of eligibility from the NCAA. With USD making its first appearance, the Shootout will be hosting its seventh school from the eight-team West Coast Conference.
Washington State, of the powerful Pacific-10 Conference, went 17-16 in 2008-09, and this campaign will mark the beginning of a new era as Ken Bone takes the coaching reins in Pullman. The Cougars visited Anchorage in 1981 for their only Shootout appearance.
2009 Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout Schedule
Sullivan Arena - Anchorage, Alaska
November 24-28
Women's Tournament - Nov. 24-25
Tuesday's Games (first round)
6 pm - Coastal Carolina vs Alaska Anchorage
8 pm - Cincinnati vs Western Carolina
Wednesday's Games
2:30 pm - CCU/UAA loser vs UC/WCU loser (3rd pl.)
5 pm - CCU/UAA winner vs UC/WCU winner (champ.)
Men's Tournament - Nov. 25-28
Wednesday's Games
7:30 pm - Washington State vs Alaska Anchorage (Pool A)
9:45 pm - Oklahoma vs San Diego (Pool B)
Thursday's Games
5 pm - Nicholls State vs Alaska Anchorage (Pool A)
7:30 pm - Houston vs Oklahoma (Pool B)
Friday's Games
5 pm - Nicholls State vs Washington State (Pool A)
7:30 pm - Houston vs San Diego (Pool B)
Saturday's Games
2 pm - Pool A #3 vs Pool B #3 (5th place)
4:30 pm - Pool A #2 vs Pool B #2 (3rd place)
7 pm - Pool A #1 vs Pool B #1 (championship)
Women's Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout History
Year Champion Runner-up Score Most Outstanding Player
1980 Iowa Alaska Anchorage 73-52 Cindy Haugejordge (Iowa)
1981 San Diego State Houston 50-41 Diena Pels (SDSU)
1982 Minnesota Indiana 70-66 Laura Coenen (Minnesota)
1983 Old Dominion Wichita State 76-53 Lorri Bauman (Drake)
1984 Texas UNLV 82-60 Annette Smith (Texas)
1985 Louisiana Tech Penn State 88-69 Dawn Royster (N. Carolina)
1986 Northeast Louisiana Southern Cal 70-68 Lisa Ingram (NE La.)
1987 New Orleans Memphis State 84-61 Kunshinge Sorrell (Miss. State)
1988 South Carolina UNLV 98-97 OT Martha Parker (USC)
1989 Stephen F. Austin Old Dominion 96-81 Connie Cole (SFA)
1990 Alaska Anchorage South Alabama 88-87 Diane Dobrich (UAA)
1991 Northern Illinois Louisville 63-60 Lisa Foss (NIU)
1992 Penn State Mo.-Kansas City 83-62 Susan Robinson (PSU)
1993 Hawaii SMU RR** Valerie Agee (Hawaii)
1994* Rhode Island NE Louisiana RR** Dayna Smith (URI)
1994* Clemson UCLA 79-62 Tara Saunooke (Clemson)
1995 South Carolina Arizona State 83-71 Shannon Johnson (USC)
1996 Georgia Oregon 72-55 Tracy Henderson (UGa)
1997 Tennessee Wisconsin 87-66 Chamique Holdsclaw (UT)
1998 No Tournament
1999 Kansas Louisville 78-68 Lynn Pride (Kansas)
2000 Ohio State Rhode Island 95-60 Jamie Lewis (OSU)
2001 Iowa Gonzaga 90-73 Lindsey Meder (Iowa)
2002 Nevada Indiana 68-56 Laura Ingham (Nevada)
2003 Alaska Anchorage Clemson 61-58 Kamie Jo Massey (UAA)
2004 Stanford La.-Lafayette 67-47 Candice Wiggins (Stanford)
2005 Cent. Connecticut St. Arizona 69-65 OT Gabriella Guegbelet, (CCSU)
2006 Alaska Anchorage UC Riverside 72-67 Rebecca Kielpinski (UAA)
2007 Alaska Anchorage Santa Clara 52-50 Rebecca Kielpinski (UAA)
2008 Alaska Anchorage Syracuse 58-57 Rebecca Kielpinski (UAA)
* = 1994 tourney's played in Jan. & Dec. respectively
RR** = 4-team round robin format
Men's Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout History
Year Champion Runner-up Score Most Outstanding Player
1978 North Carolina State Louisville 72-66 Clyde Austin (N.C. State)
1979 Kentucky Iona 57-50 Jeff Ruland (Iona)
1980 North Carolina Arkansas 64-58 Scott Hastings (Arkansas)
1981 Southwestern Louisiana Marquette 81-64 Steve Burtt (Iona)
1982 Louisville Vanderbilt 80-70 Lancaster Gordon (Louisville)
1983 North Carolina State Arkansas 65-60 Joe Kleine (Arkansas)
1984 Alabama-Birmingham Kansas 50-46 Steve Mitchell (Alabama-Birmingham)
1985 North Carolina UNLV 65-60 Brad Daugherty (North Carolina)
1986 Iowa Northeastern 103-80 Roy Marble (Iowa)
1987 Arizona Syracuse 80-69 Sean Elliott (Arizona)
1988 Seton Hall Kansas 92-81 Chris Mills (Kentucky)
1989 Michigan State Kansas State 73-68 Steve Smith (Michigan State)
1990 UCLA Virginia 89-74 Don MacLean (UCLA)
1991 Massachusetts New Orleans 68-56 Jim McCoy (Massachusetts)
1992 New Mexico State Illinois 95-94 Sam Crawford (New Mexico State)
1993 Purdue Portland 88-73 Glenn Robinson (Purdue)
1994 Minnesota Brigham Young 79-74 Townsend Orr (Minnesota)
1995 Duke Iowa 88-81 Ray Allen (Connecticut)
1996 Kentucky Coll. of Charleston 92-65 Ron Mercer (Kentucky)
1997 North Carolina Purdue 73-69 Antawn Jamison (North Carolina)
1998 Cincinnati Duke 77-75 William Avery (Duke)
1999 Kansas Georgia Tech 84-70 Drew Gooden (Kansas)
2000 Syracuse Missouri 84-62 Preston Shumpert (Syracuse)
2001 Marquette Gonzaga 72-63 Dwyane Wade (Marquette)
2002 College of Charleston Villanova 71-69 Troy Wheless (College of Charleston)
2003 Purdue Duke 78-68 Kenneth Lowe (Purdue)
2004 Washington Alabama 79-76 Nate Robinson (Washington)
2005 Marquette South Carolina 92-89 OT Steve Novak (Marquette)
2006 California Loyola Marymount 78-70 Ryan Anderson (California)
2007 Butler Texas Tech 81-71 Mike Green (Butler)
2008 San Diego State Hampton 76-47 Kyle Spain (San Diego State)
