ANCHORAGE (May 29) – The Alaska Anchorage men's basketball team added another key piece of its 2025-26 lineup Thursday as head coach Rusty Osborne announced that Akok Machar has signed a scholarship agreement with the Seawolves.

A 6-7, 180-pound guard, Machar will have one season at UAA after transferring from fellow NCAA Div. II program Texas-Tyler, where he averaged 7.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game as a junior, starting 17 contests. He scored double figures 10 times at UTT, including 21 points (8-12 FG, 5-7 3FG) in a road win over Sul Ross State and 15 points (5-10 FG, 2-4 3FG) against St. Mary's.

"We are excited to add 'Cookie' for his senior season," said Osborne. "We recruited him out of his junior college, where played for former UAA assistant coach Cameron Turner at Eastern Arizona, so we are very familiar with him and his talent."

Prior to his season at UTT, Machar was a two-year standout at Eastern Arizona College, where he helped his JC squad to a combined 47-16 record and back-to-back playoff qualifications. He averaged 10.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 55 career games with the Gila Monsters, earning All-ACCAC Div. I and All-Region 1 second-team honors in 2023-24. As a sophomore, he scored double figures 16 times and had three '20/10' double-doubles, including a career-high 29 points (11-20 FG, 5-7 3FG) in a victory over Pima.

"He is a very versatile player at 6-7, who can play multiple positions on both ends of the court," Osborne added. "He has excellent ball skills, and the ability to break down defenders and get to the basket. Although his shooting percentages were down this year, he has shown the ability to shoot at a high level in the past. We expect him to be a good fit in our system and an efficient weapon offensively. We also believe he can be a disruptor on the defensive end. Adding an experienced D-II starter from a tough league will be very beneficial for us this season."

Originally from South Sudan, Machar grew up in Adelaide, Australia, starring for Christian Brothers College (high school) and his Southern Tigers club team.

Machar becomes the third member of UAA's 2025 recruiting class, alongside fellow transfer Sylas Williams (6-7/210, F, Bothell, Wash./Jackson HS/Skagit Valley College) and incoming freshman Marek Hajdukovich (6-2/185, G, Anchorage/Dimond HS).