University of Alaska Anchorage Athletics

PORTLAND, Ore. – Riding a streak of 13 straight winning seasons, the Alaska Anchorage men’s basketball team has been picked fifth in the 2018-19 Great Northwest Athletic Conference preseason coaches’ poll, released Tuesday by the league office.

With five returning letterwinners and a pair of newcomers with Div. I experience, the Seawolves received 76 points in voting by the league’s 11 head coaches. Saint Martin’s was picked to win the league for the first time, earning 118 points and nine first-place votes, followed by Seattle Pacific (105), defending champion Western Oregon (94), Western Washington (83) and UAA.

The Seawolves will turn to the experience of 6-9 senior post Brian Pearson, who averaged 7.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game last season, along with steady junior guard Jack Macdonald, who started 16 games and averaged 6.3 points and 1.4 assists. Junior point guard Brennan Rymer (3.2 ppg, 2.1 apg) and 6-5 sophomore forward Eric Jenkins (0.5 ppg, 1.8 rpg) are the other returners from last year’s club that finished 15-14 overall and tied for fourth in the GNAC at 11-9, while junior forward Sjur Berg brings 58 games of collegiate experience after returning from a one-year sabbatical.

Along with redshirt freshman Austin White, head coach Rusty Osborne and his staff will feature six other newcomers, including impact transfers Niko Bevens and Tyler Brimhall. Bevens played last season at Big Sky Conference champion Montana, and Brimhall recently made the GNAC Preseason All-Conference Team, having spent two seasons at D-I program Idaho and last year helping North Idaho College to the NWAC title.

UAA starts the season Nov. 2 at 7 p.m. when it hosts Antelope Valley at the Alaska Airlines Center. Call 907-786-1562 or visit GoSeawolves.com or AlaskaAirlinesCenter.com for tickets.