THIS WEEK IN ALASKA ANCHORAGE MEN'S BASKETBALL...
 
Thu., Jan. 1 – 5:15 pm AST – Alaska Airlines Center – Anchorage, AK
Simon Fraser (4-8, 1-1 GNAC) at Alaska Anchorage (9-4, 1-1 GNAC)
&
Sat., Jan. 3 – 7:30 pm AST – Alaska Airlines Center – Anchorage, AK
Western Washington (7-6, 1-1 GNAC [1/1 @UAF]) at Alaska Anchorage
 
TICKETS: GoSeawolves.com
 
LIVE VIDEO: All UAA home contests and GNAC road contests are streamed through the GNAC Network portal at Hudl – gnacnetwork.com/uaaseawolves ... fans can choose between a single event ($12), a 30-day subscription ($25) or a yearly subscription ($120).
 
LIVE STATS: GoSeawolves.com/sidearmstats/mbball
 
UAA TENTATIVE STARTERS (2025-26 stats)
G—Cole Johnson, 6-2, Jr. (5.9 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 3.0 apg)
G—Akok Machar, 6-7, Sr. (11.0 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.7 apg, 1.6 spg, 0.8 bpg, .968 FT)
G—Hasaan Herrington, 6-3, Sr. (9.9 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 3.8 apg, .457 FG, .364 3FG)
F—Bishop Tosi, 6-6, Sr. (8.6 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 2.2 apg, .507 FG, .795 FT)
F—Sylas Williams, 6-7, Jr. (12.7 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 1.7 apg, 0.9 bpg, .454 FG)
 
RETURN OF THE GNAC: The Alaska Anchorage men's basketball team returns to the Alaska Airlines Center for the first time since Nov. 29 when it hosts its Great Northwest Athletic Conference home openers this week against Simon Fraser (Thur., 5:15 pm) and Western Washington (Sat., 7:30 pm) ... these mark the first of nine GNAC home games during the league's balanced schedule ... the top six teams at the end of the regular season qualify for the GNAC Championships.
 
SCOUTING REPORT: Picked ninth in the GNAC preseason coaches' poll, Simon Fraser looks to snap a three-game losing skid when it visits on New Year's Day ... the Red Leafs, from Burnaby, British Columbia, are led by 5-11 Jr. PG Mikyle Malabuyoc (13.1 ppg, 5.5 apg, .468 3FG, .889 FT) and 7-0 Sr. C Zach Stone (11.2 ppg, 5.9 rpg) ... picked fourth in the preseason poll, Western Washington has been a streaky team, losing five straight from Nov. 19-Dec. 4 before taking a four-game winning streak into Thursday's game at UAF ... the Vikings are led by 6-3 So. G Aiden Rice (18.4 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 3.4 apg, .517 FG, .442 3FG, .817 FT) and 6-4 Jr. G Nehemiah Pollard (17.6 ppg, 6.5 rpg, .529 FG).
 
THE SERIES...
vs SFU: UAA leads 29-2 overall, 15-1 in Anchorage
Streak: UAA 8
Last: UAA 59-58 (2/1/25 at UAA)
Notes: UAA has won five straight at home, taking the last two by a combined margin of three points ... the Seawolves won the first 20 games in series history ... UAA leads 26-2 in GNAC meetings since SFU joined the league in 2010-11 ... UAA leads 9-1 at the Alaska Airlines Center ... teams met twice in UAA's first year of Div. II membership in 1977-78, with UAA winning both at home.
 
vs WWU: WWU leads 29-21 overall; tied 12-12 in Anch.
Streak: WWU 1
Last: WWU 76-73 (1/30/25 at UAA)
Notes: Teams have split the last four season series ... the last three meetings have been decided by 2-4 points ... the road team has won seven of the last 11 regular-season meetings ... UAA leads 5-4 at the Alaska Airlines Center ... the last 20 games have been decided by 10 points or fewer, including three OT contests ... WWU leads 26-20 in GNAC regular-season games (since 2001-02) ... first and only non-GNAC meeting was an 89-77 UAA home win, Jan. 20, 2000, when both schools were in the Pac West.
 
LAST TIME OUT: The Seawolves rolled to a 113-52 blowout of NCCAA foe West Coast Baptist in their non-conference finale Dec. 15 at the Alaska Airlines Center ... UAA had eight players score double figures – led by Jr. G Elijah Mobley (14 pts, 7-9 FG, 7 rebs) and So. C Lyman Simmons (12 pts, 3-4 FG, 6-6 FT) – as it outshot the Eagles .551 to .353 and forced 28 turnovers ... Sr. G Jaren Miller had his best game as a Seawolf with 11 pts (3-4 FG, 2-2 3FG, 3-4 FG), 3 rebs and 6 assts, while Sr. G Hasaan Herrington notched 8 rebounds, 7 assists and no turnovers ... UAA set a new mark for its most points scored at the Alaska Airlines Center (opened fall 2014) and tied the 10th-most assists in program history with 34.
 
TEAM NOTES: The Seawolves lead the GNAC stats and rank 12th in NCAA Div. II in scoring defense (62.2 ppg), along with league ranks of 2nd in FG% defense (.415), rebounds allowed (30.4) and TO forced (17.0), and 3rd in blocks (3.8), assists (18.0) and steals (9.7) ... UAA has earned .500-or-better records in 16 of the past 18 seasons, and 37 winning records in 47 seasons of NCAA Div. II existence ... the Seawolves have claimed winning conference records in 33 of 43 years belonging to a league ... UAA has 17 20-win seasons since becoming an NCAA Div. II program in 1977-78.
 
'WOLF BITES: Back for his third year in Green & Gold, Sr. F/C Bishop Tosi was the Seawolves' representative on the Preseason All-GNAC Team ... an honorable mention all-league performer as a junior, the former Bartlett High star has already made an impact this season with game-winning baskets against both Chaminade and Northwest, along with late heroics in the win at Western Oregon ... in the GNAC stats, Tosi ranks 7th in offensive rebounding (2.3), 8th in FT% (.795) and 18th in FG% (.507) ... Tosi ranks 14th on UAA's career FG% list at .553  ... Sr. G/F Hasaan Herrington has blossomed into one of the GNAC's most well-rounded players over his three seasons at UAA, already improving his numbers to 9.9 ppg (.457 FG/.364 3FG/.794 FT), 4.3 rpg, 3.8 apg and 2.1 spg ... the former East High star has averaged 11.5 ppg in the eight games against D-II foes, including a 17-point (6-9 FG) effort to boost the win over Chaminade ... after dishing seven assists with no turnovers against West Coast Baptist, Herrington now leads the nation in A/T ratio at 6.1-to-1 ... he also holds GNAC ranks of 6th in assists and 3rd in steals ... a transfer from fellow D-II program Texas-Tyler, Sr. G Akok 'Cookie' Machar has emerged as another all-around threat, scoring double figures 10 times, including seven of the eight D-II games ... originally from South Sudan and raised in Adelaide, Australia, Machar leads the GNAC with a .968 FT%, making his first 29 attempts ... Machar is also top-12 in blocks (11th, 0.8) and steals (8th, 1.6) ... Jr. F Sylas Williams has made an immediate impact in his two months as a Seawolf, claiming Most Outstanding Player honors in the Alaska/Hawaii Challenge and emerging as the team's leading scorer (12.7 ppg) and rebounder (6.7 rpg) ... the 2024-25 NWAC Player of the Year at Skagit Valley (Wash.) College, Williams has posted three double-doubles ... the Washington native holds GNAC ranks of 5th in rebounding, 19th in scoring, 5th in offensive rebounding (2.3), 8th in blocks (0.9), 20th in 3FGs per game (1.7) and 16th in minutes per game (28.6) ... Jr. G Cole Johnson ranks 12th in the GNAC with 3.0 assists per game, while Sr. F John McFadden is 18th in steals (1.2).
 
TRUST IN RUSTY: In his 21st season (22nd year) at the helm, head coach Rusty Osborne (370-238) has led the Seawolves to six NCAA Tournament bids, including advancement to the 2008 NCAA Div. II Semifinals, and 16 records of .500-or-better in the last 18 seasons … the longest tenured coach in program history and in the GNAC, he became the first UAA coach in any sport to reach 300 career victories when the Seawolves beat Hawaii Pacific on Nov. 13, 2021 … Osborne captured 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 Ashton Pomrehn (1st season) and Ryan Engebretsen (5th season/6th year).
 
2025-26 Seawolf Individual Honors
HASAAN HERRINGTON
Sprite Tundra Tip-Off All-Tournament Team
Alaska/Hawaii Challenge All-Tournament Team
AKOK MACHAR
Sprite Tundra Tip-Off All-Tournament Team
BISHOP TOSI
Preseason All-GNAC Team
SYLAS WILLIAMS
Alaska/Hawaii Challenge Most Outstanding Player